Posted by Adam

Wednesday May 5, 2010

SCARLETT Johansson and Gwyneth Paltrow became friends on the set of Iron Man 2.

The actress — who plays Russian spy Black Widow in the Marvel superhero movie — says it was great having another woman to bond with on a mostly male set.

“I’ve always admired her work and we’ve both in the industry for a long time, so we shared that,” she said. “We both know a lot of the same people. I also think she was relieved.

“She was like, ‘A woman, my God! You don’t know what I’ve been dealing with!’ And I looked over at Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau slapping each other in the corner!

“We didn’t want our characters’ relationship to be catty. I think Gwyneth’s character is bewildered by mine and my character isn’t really concerned with hers, which is interesting.”

Scarlett took on a complex exercise regime and grueling diet plan to fit into the skin-tight Lycra catsuit she had to wear for the role, and Gwyneth — who plays Pepper Potts, the assistant of Robert’s character Tony Stark in the film — gave her numerous cooking tips to stay trim.

“I had to cook more than normal, because I was working and eating in such a clean way, so we shared tips on how to make things more delicious when they’re not that delicious,” she added.

The 25-year-old actress completed many of her own stunts and fight scenes for the film and admits the all-action role took its toll on her body.

“I spent so many hours low to the ground and squatting,” she said. “I couldn’t walk for three days after those, it was horrible.”

Tags: gwyneth paltrow, scarlett johansson