Scarlett Johansson isn't the first to have a bizarre paparazzi experience, Sean Penn once hanged a paparazzo over a balcony
'Avengers' star Scarlett Johansson is currently fighting back against the lawless paparazzi after she was followed by several photographers who wanted to obtain details of where she and her four-year-old daughter were staying after her appearance on the show 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'.
Johansson has now spoken out about the incident and is hoping for laws to change. In a statement to E! News, she shared, "The paparazzi consistently go to increasingly dangerous lengths to stalk and harass the people they are photographing. Even after Princess Diana's tragic death, the laws were never changed to protect targets from the lawless paparazzi. Many paparazzi have criminal pasts and will perform criminal acts to get their shot."
Johansson had a traumatic experience when she was followed by five cars with blackened windows full of men who were "putting other drivers and pedestrians at risk so they could follow me to find out where I was staying and subsequently stalk me and my young daughter for the duration of my stay."
"The paparazzi put people's lives at risk, so they can wait for days in quiet neighborhoods in blacked out cars, and try to follow me to the playground and photograph my child and other people's children in a safe place that should be off limits, but isn't. All of this is perfectly legal," She further added.
She also spoke about how many women across the United States are stalked and is hoping for the laws to change. "Until paparazzi are considered by the law for the criminal stalkers they are, it's just a waiting game before another person gets seriously injured or killed, like Princess Diana," she shared.
Like Johansson, there are many celebrities who are not pleased with how the paparazzi cross lines to get what they need. Some celebrities have had far worse experiences with the paparazzi and have gotten into some explosive confrontations as a result of constant harassment by the paparazzi. These are 5 of the most aggressive celebrity-paparazzi confrontations to have occurred so far:
1. Sean Penn
Sean Penn proved that he had absolutely no time for paparazzi when he ended up dangling a very unfortunate photographer by his ankles off a balcony located on the ninth floor in a hotel room in Macau in 1986. According to Penn, he had mistaken the photographer to be a burglar. Penn was charged with attempted murder and, as a result, ended up fleeing to Hong Kong. Penn was eventually pardoned for his extreme action against the photographer.
2. Kanye West
The 'Stronger' singer made it clear that the airport gate was no place for paparazzi as he and his road manager Don Crowley thrashed an unfortunate photographer's equipment and gear at LAX in 2008. As a result of the confrontation, Kanye was required to pay for the damages and also missed his flight to Hawaii. After the incident took place, Kanye vowed to have a better relationship with the media.
3. Britney Spears
The American diva is no stranger to run-ins with the paparazzi and her 2007 run-in marks one of her most famous ones. A bald-headed Britney Spears was seen viciously attacking an SUV as well as some members of the paparazzi with an umbrella. At the time, Spears was going through a difficult phase and was amidst a custody battle with her estranged husband Kevin Federline. She attacked the vehicle and also yelled "F**k You" at the paparazzi.
4. Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant was accused of attacking a London-based paparazzo with a tub of baked beans in 2007. Grant clashed with the photographer near his home and the photographer alleged that Grant had abused and kicked him before throwing the baked beans. Grant was arrested as a result of the assault allegation but was out on bail. The charges made against him were also dropped. Grant found himself in troubled waters again when he allegedly kicked a photographer in a separate incident.
5. Woody Harrelson
Shortly after finishing 'Zombieland', Harrelson had a major clash with a TMZ photographer as he was walking through the LaGuardia Airport along with his daughter in 2009. The photographer had alleged that Harrelson broke his video camera, choked him, and also ordered his bodyguard to attack the photographer. Eventually, Harrelson reached a settlement agreement with the photographer but the details of the settlement were not included in court records.