Scarlett Johansson: ‘We Still Live In A Country That’s Sexist & Racist’

Scarlett Johansson may have just gotten married, but the honeymoon’s over for her — at least when it comes to politics.

The “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” star, who wed actor Ryan Reynolds in an intimate ceremony in Vancouver last month, recently told CosmoGirl! magazine that America has a long way to go on the road to equality.

“We still live in a country that’s sexist and racist,” she said. “Those are issues that we deal with whether we want to ignore it or not. Seeing how the media portrayed Hillary [Clinton] with unbelievable sexism — some of the things that people were saying were just so overwhelming. You just couldn’t believe the names that they were calling her!”

Scarlett expressed some doubts about the state of the American Dream, but she took heart from her experiences on the campaign trail during the primaries, where she spoke to “amazing” college students.

“These kids are just so well-informed and so interested,” she told the mag. “There were really obscure questions and debates that they wanted to lead — I couldn’t believe it! And it was amazing how many of these kids turned out. I’m 23, and all of these kids are probably between 16 to 24. They’re my peers, so we can all talk on the same wavelength. We’re all connected by the same issues.”

The actress drew controversy earlier this year for comments about an e-mail exchange with Barack Obama — which his campaign debunked — but that hasn’t stopped her from staying involved. And she thinks celebrities shouldn’t hold back their opinions.

“In this day and age, the media has this 24-hour news cycle that they need to fulfill their obligation to. And it seems like celebrities are a huge part of that, so it just seems unavoidable,” she said. “It’s important to bring to light certain issues. If this spotlight is already shining on me and I feel like there’s a worthwhile cause, then why not direct it toward that? I hope that my [involvement] encourages the youth population to go out and inform themselves.”

If it sounds like the newlywed is already stressed out, don’t worry — Scarlett likes a challenge.

“When I feel like I want to get to the bottom of something, when I’m engaged, that makes me happy,” she said. “Using my brain, you know? That makes me feel good.”