Scarlett Johansson on gender wage gap: 'It's always an uphill battle and fight'

Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Scarlett Johansson has spoken out about the gender wage gap in Hollywood and has addressed her title as the highest-grossing actress of all time.

"Just because I'm the top-grossing actress of all time does not mean I'm the highest paid," Johansson says in the upcoming March issue of Marie Claire where she also graces the cover.

"I've had to fight for everything that I have. It's such a fickle and political industry," she continued before launching into why she refrained from commenting on the gender wage gap in the past.

"Some people felt I should talk about my personal struggle in order to shed a spotlight on the greater issue. Maybe I'm being presumptuous, but I assumed it was obvious that women in all positions struggle for equality," the 32-year-old said.

"It's always an uphill battle and fight. My experience with my close female friends and family is that the struggle is real for everybody. Everyone has been discriminated against or harassed -- sexism is real."

Johansson also commented on the controversy surrounding her casting as the Major in Ghost in the Shell, a character who has been portrayed as Asian in the original manga and in an animated film adaptation.

"I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person. Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive," the Avengers star said.

"Also, having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity. Certainly, I feel the enormous pressure of that -- the weight of such a big property on my shoulders."

Marie Claire's March issue is set to arrive on newsstands Feb. 14. The magazine shared the cover featuring Johansson on Twitter Monday.