Scarlett Johansson blames "extreme sexism" for the fall out over her comments about e-mailing Barack Obama.

Scarlett Johansson blames "extreme sexism" for the fall out over Barack Obama

"I kept thinking to myself, 'God, if this was just, like, Kal Penn or George Clooney, or any of the other [Obama] surrogates or supporters ... there wouldn't be [any] question about it," the actress, 23, tells the Associated Press. "Nobody would even talk about it."

In June, Johansson said she had a "personal dialogue," via email, with the Democratic presidential hopeful.

Johansson tells the AP she didn't mean to suggest the two were pen pals.

"I was merely trying to express my delight at Obama's commitment in his campaign in every aspect, and his interest and his support [in] his surrogates, and his staff and his fellows, and how wonderful and refreshing that is," she says. "And it was manipulated into such an unfortunate media frenzy of kind of a non-story."

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