SCARLETT’S SPLENDOR

 

A name synonymous with talent, grace and beauty, Scarlett Johansson has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most versatile and sought-after actresses, as well as the industry’s highest-grossing actor with a worldwide total gross of US$14.9 billion. Born on 22 November 1984 in Manhattan, New York City to a Danish architect father (Karsten Olaf Johansson) and an American mother (Melanie Sloan) – a former producer and Johansson’s manager, Johansson was named after the character Scarlett O’Hara from Gone With the Wind. Let us now take a look at the captivating journey that has taken Scarlett Ingrid Johansson from a young girl with dreams of becoming an actor to becoming an international superstar dominating the international box office.

EARLY LIFE
Growing up in a large household with three siblings (eldest brother Adrian, elder sister Vanessa and younger twin brother Hunter – she is older by three minutes! Johansson also has an older half-brother Christian who resides in Denmark), Johansson’s parents played crucial roles in cultivating her creativity and shaping her early influences by exposing her to a world where art and culture thrived. This environment nurtured Johansson’s innate curiosity, and an undeniable love for the arts and performance from a very young age. Even at the tender age of three, Johansson had already proclaimed to her mother: “I have a fire in my brain to act.” She often put on song-and-dance routines for her family, and was particularly fond of musical theatre and jazz hands.

Johansson spent her childhood greatly fascinated by cinema and the beautiful actresses of yesteryears. She watched The Silence Of The Lambs at the age of eight, and developed a mature taste in films and a critical eye early on. She soon realised that acting could be a suitable career for her and started going to auditions for advertisements after a suggestion from a family friend. She also tried to sign up to a talent agency, but unfortunately, they preferred to take one of her brothers instead, leaving her greatly disappointed. When her mother realised how serious Johansson was about acting, she enrolled Johansson in the Lee Strasberg Institute to study acting between the ages of eight to 11. Johansson’s exposure to serious acting in Lee Strasberg made her decide to shift focus from acting in advertisements to performing in film and theatre.

Johansson made her professional acting debut opposite Ethan Hawke in the off-Broadway production of Sophistry at the age of eight. While she had her primary education at the public elementary school PS 41 (Public School 41) in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, she later shifted to the Professional Children’s School, a private educational institution for aspiring child actors in Manhattan that is known for accommodating the schedules of young actors and performers. This unique educational setting allowed her to pursue her academic interests while simultaneously honing her acting skills.

CHILD STAR
A year after her professional acting debut, Johansson made her first screen appearance in the 1994 Rob Reiner directed fantasy comedy North. Although the film received mixed reviews, Johansson’s performance caught the attention of industry insiders. She then starred as the daughter of Sean Connery in the 1995 crime thriller Just Cause and appeared in the 1996 romantic comedy If Lucy Fell. Her parts in these films were short, but she was already showing great potential. However, it was the 1996 comedy drama Manny & Lo where she truly drew the attention of critics.

Taking her first lead role, Johansson’s performance as the younger sibling of a sister duo on the run drew much praise from critics. Reelviews’ Jame Berardinelli declared Johansson to be a “real find”, noting that her “unaffected and thoroughly-engaging portrayal of Manny is so perfectly on-target that, while watching her, it is easy to forget that this is an actress playing a role.” Despite her tender age, Johansson added much wisdom and personality to her role, something that not many young actors can do. Her mature portrayal even earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead.

“Growing up in a large household with three siblings (eldest brother Adrian, elder sister Vanessa and younger twin brother Hunter – she is older by three minutes! Johansson also has an older half-brother Christian who resides in Denmark), Johansson’s parents played crucial roles in cultivating her creativity and shaping her early influences by exposing her to a world where art and culture thrived. This environment nurtured Johansson’s innate curiosity, and an undeniable love for the arts and performance from a very young age.”

At the age of 13, Johansson’s parents divorced, and she was left to face the challenges of balancing her family and academic responsibilities with an increasingly demanding acting career. Her seamless transition between academia and the film set showcased a maturity and determination to remain grounded and focus on personal growth, despite her rising profile in the entertainment industry – a profile that landed her meaty roles in major movies like Home Alone 3 (1997) and The Horse Whisperer (1998) which starred Robert Redford.

Life as a child actor was not always a bed of roses for Johansson. As she recalled, “People forget what it’s like to be a child. When you’re a child actress, people sometimes regress into being obnoxious and patronising. But there’s no reason to dumb things down just because you’re working with kids.”

BLOSSOMING A-LISTER
The turn of the millennium marked a new significant phase in Johansson’s career. She made a slew of strong performances in a diverse range of movies, including the Coen brothers’ noir The Man Who Wasn’t There, the comedy drama Ghost World, the biographical An American Rhapsody (all 2001), and the action comedy Eight Legged Freaks (2002). But it was her portrayal of Charlotte in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003) opposite Bill Murray that catapulted her into the A-list.

“A year after her professional acting debut, Johansson made her first screen appearance in the 1994 Rob Reiner- directed fantasy comedy North. Although the film received mixed reviews, Johansson’s performance caught the attention of industry insiders. She then starred as the daughter of Sean Connery in the 1995 crime thriller Just Cause and appeared in the 1996 romantic comedy If Lucy Fell. Her parts in these films were short, but she was already showing great potential.”

The multiple Oscar-nominated US$118 million hit not only garnered critical acclaim but also earned the 19-year-old Johansson her first-ever Golden Globe nomination as well as her first major award win for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role at the BAFTA Film Award. A portrayal of deep loneliness and unexpected connection in a foreign city, Johansson prepared for the role by living in Hokkaido for a while. The experience helped her to demonstrate a wealth of emotion and vulnerability that belied her young age, earning the respect of both audiences and industry veterans. Well-matched against the equally formidable Bill Murray, many critics were bowled over by the chemistry displayed by the two leads. Berardinelli called Johansson “luminous” and lauded her performance as one that should “catapult her into the elite circle of young female actresses.”

Following the success of Lost in Translation, Johansson continued to take on challenging roles that highlighted her range and depth as an actress. In 2003, she also starred in Girl with a Pearl Earring, a historical drama based on the novel by Tracy Chevalier. The film, directed by Peter Webber, delved into the fictionalised relationship between the painter Johannes Vermeer (played by Colin Firth) and his servant girl Griet (played by Johansson). The role allowed Johansson to showcase her ability to convey complex emotions without dialogue as she gave a virtuoso performance that earned her plenty of critical acclaim and nominations. Interestingly, Johansson also earned a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in this film, the same year in which she won the award for her role in Lost in Translation – a rare double nomination in the same category.

Berardinelli’s prediction that Johansson would join the elite circle of young female actresses did shortly come true as Johansson became hot property in Hollywood, starring in no fewer than five movies in 2004 alone. Yet, even as she navigated the landscape of Hollywood, Johansson deftly moved between genres. From the crime comedy The Perfect Score (where she starred with good buddy Chris Evans – Prime Jun/Jul 2022 cover – for the first time) to the drama A Love Song for Bobby Long to voicework in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, she demonstrated a firm desire not to be typecast. She admitted, “It would be such a waste to just continue to do the same thing and not take a risk. I don’t have anything to lose, really. Even if it doesn’t work out, the gain if it does is so much greater. Taking those risks is something I feel more and more comfortable with.”

The year 2005 marked two key milestones for Johansson. It was the year in which she first embraced the action genre with the release of the US$160 million Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster The Island, directed by Michael Bay. Starring opposite Ewan McGregor, Johansson played a clone seeking escape from a dystopian facility. This first step into the action genre was a bit of a chastening experience for her. Johansson recalled, “I came home and I thought I was going to die. I was in agony. I had muscles that had atrophied. I couldn’t run any longer and it was only the first day. But actually, Ewan was in the same boat. He had black and blue marks all over him. So, it wasn’t so bad since someone else was in agony.”

While The Island received mixed reviews, Johansson’s performance demonstrated her ability to tackle high-energy action roles, which expanded her reach to broader audiences and arguably paved the way for her involvement as part of the original core in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

That same year, Johansson also took on the Woody Allen thriller Match Point, in which she played a struggling actress who seduces the scheming son-in-law (played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers) of a wealthy family, gets impregnated, and ends up getting murdered by her lover after she refuses an abortion and demands that he get a divorce. The low budget film was a surprise hit that took in over US$85 million. It also marked the beginning of a fertile professional relationship with Allen. On hitting it off with Allen, Johansson commented, “I just adore Woody. We have a lot in common. We’re New Yorkers, Jewish. We have a very easygoing relationship.”

Match Point showcased Johansson in a more mature and dramatic light, exploring themes of morality, luck and the consequences of one’s choices. Her performance as Nola Rice, a captivating and morally ambiguous character, garnered praise and cemented her as a versatile actress capable of tackling complex roles. Another collaboration with Allen soon followed with 2006’s Scoop, a comedic mystery in which Johansson played a journalism student trying to solve a murder with the help of a deceased journalist played by Hugh Jackman.

Another major role which Johansson took on in 2006 was the Christopher Nolan cult classic The Prestige. In this intricate tale of rivalry between two magicians, Johansson played Olivia Wenscombe, the assistant caught between Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman’s characters. The film’s intricate plot and stellar cast, including Johansson, received acclaim for its complexity and depth.

Continuing her exploration of diverse roles, Johansson further starred in the 2007 romantic comedy The Nanny Diaries and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), a historical drama based on the novel by Philippa Gregory. In the latter, Johnasson portrayed Mary Boleyn, a lady-in-waiting whose life becomes entangled with political intrigue and the court of King Henry VIII (played by Eric Bana) as she wrestles for the monarch’s affection against her sister, Anne Boleyn – the Queen (played by Natalie Portman). Johansson also collaborated with Allen for the third time in the 2008 romantic drama comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a story about two friends becoming enamoured with a painter during a summer holiday in Spain, unaware that the painter’s ex-wife, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture.

All these high-profile projects lifted Johansson into the Hollywood A-list and she was even ranked #1 on Entertainment Weekly’s “30 Under 30” actress list in 2008, while coming in at #12 on Forbes’s 2017 list of the “20 Top- Earning Young Superstars”. The latter was surely indicative of the increasing box office clout that the Manhattan-born beauty was building.

BLACK WIDOW
While the 2000s saw Johansson rapidly rise through industry ranks following her breakthrough with Lost in Translation, she would close the 2000s with a huge bang when she made her MCU debut as Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, in the US$600 million global smash hit Iron Man 2 (2010). Seamlessly blending formidable intelligence, steely determinism, emotional vulnerability and impressive physicality in a role that would become iconic, Johansson’s introduction as Black Widow marked a significant moment in the MCU. Her character was the lone female hero in the original Avengers line-up, and her action prowess would contribute much to the franchise’s global success in the ensuing decade.

Johansson’s standout performance as Black Widow became a linchpin of the MCU, with her character evolving and becoming deeply involved in follow-up MCU ensemble hits like The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) in the first half of the 2010s. The character’s complexity, coupled with Johansson’s charismatic portrayal, and the consistent quality of the MCU films endeared Black Widow to fans. These films helped to establish Johansson as a key player in the most successful film franchise of all time. The Avengers, The Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron were all well received by critics and grossed a combined total of over US$3.6 billion worldwide.

While the MCU dominated a significant portion of Johansson’s cinematic presence in the early 2010s, she continued to explore a diverse range of roles outside the superhero realm. For example, she starred in the 2011 Cameron Crowe drama comedy hit We Bought a Zoo as well as the biographical Hitchcock in 2012. Two of her most captivating roles came in 2013 when she starred in Spike Jonze’s science-fiction romance Her and Jonathan Glazer’s enigmatic Under the Skin.

In the former, Johansson lent her voice as the operating system Samantha, with whom Joaquin Phoenix’s character Theodore falls in love. The film, which explored themes of love and connection in the digital age, earned much critical praise and Johansson’s beautiful vocal performance garnered her a number of best supporting actress nominations, including the Critics’ Choice Movie Award and the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, despite Johansson not physically appearing in the film.

Johansson’s commitment to independent and art-house cinema is also evident in Under the Skin. Her portrayal of an alien seductress preying on unsuspecting men in Scotland was hailed for its otherworldly intensity and the actress’s willingness to push artistic boundaries. Berardinelli hailed Johansson for her “strong performance”, noting that she “threw herself into the role with abandon. With only occasional snippets of dialogue, she has to build a character largely out of facial expressions and body language.”

Johansson’s willingness to experiment with genres and roles continued in the 2014 high concept science fiction action film Lucy, directed by Luc Besson. In this US$469 million hit, Johansson portrayed Lucy, a woman who gains superhuman abilities after she accidentally ends up with a massive overdose of a synthetic drug meant to increase one’s “cerebral capacity”. While Johansson’s Black Widow was largely a supporting character in the MCU films, Lucy puts her action credentials front and centre, showcasing Johansson’s ability to anchor an action film on her own. Lucy proved once and for all that Johansson is a bankable superstar beyond the confines of the MCU, and is very much able to lead and open a major tentpole picture.

BEYOND THE MCU
The latter half of the 2010s culminated in the end of the MCU’s Phase Three as well as Johansson’s involvement in the blockbuster franchise. 2016 saw the release of Captain America: Civil War, another US$1 billion hit. After Civil War, Johansson would reprise her iconic role as Black Widow for just four more times before hanging up her superhero costume for good. These included the climatic Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), a cameo appearance in Captain Marvel (2019), and Black Widow (2021) – the first standalone film for the iconic Black Widow after more than a decade in the MCU.

Infinity War and Endgame are among the top ten biggest hits of all time, with both grossing over US$2 billion worldwide. These, no doubt, helped to elevate Johansson to the mantle of the highest grossing actor in the world. On the other hand, Black Widow was a recognition of the many years she had committed to the franchise, and a final acknowledgement of the enduring legacy and popularity of her character. The film explored Black Widow’s past and her journey towards redemption, providing a satisfying conclusion to the character’s arc in the MCU. Beyond the MCU, Johansson continued to take on commercial projects, while also expanding her exploration of independent cinema. In terms of commercial hits, she starred in the 2016 live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime classic Ghost in the Shell. While the film faced controversy over accusations of whitewashing, it still grossed close to US$170 million globally and further cemented Johansson’s considerable box office clout.

In terms of independent cinema, Johansson hit gold with a couple of art-house gems that culminated in a double Oscar nomination in 2020 – her first Oscar nominations. Marriage Story, a masterful look at the breaking-up of a marriage and its effects on a couple, was critically acclaimed and featured heavily on many critics’ year-end best movies list for 2019. Johansson was arguably at her career best in Marriage Story. Brian Tallerico from Roger Ebert praised that Johansson’s work in the film was a “new career watermark”, while Berardinelli also commended that Johansson gave the “best performance of her career”. Interestingly, when director Noah Baumbach approached Johansson to join the film, unbeknownst to him, she was actually going through her second divorce. Perhaps, with the role cutting close to life, it aided Johansson in her mesmerising performance which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

Johansson’s other Oscar nomination in 2020 came in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role category for her work in Jojo Rabbit (2019), a WWII coming-of-age fantasy comedy in which a young German boy in Hitler Youth, who imagines Hitler as his personal friend, shockingly discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. The Taika Waititi-directed film was a bit of a hit-and- miss affair, but Johansson’s solid performance as the mother nevertheless got her a deserved Oscar nod.

Following these projects, Johansson’s cinematic output decreased dramatically due to the pandemic. As a previously prolific presence in the cinemas, it was unusual not to see her on screen often. But as she explained about her absence, “I just can’t work. I don’t think the conditions that are required to work right now are conditions that I could work comfortably under.” Happily, for fans, Johansson came back in a big way in 2023, starring in auteur Wes Anderson’s drama comedy Asteroid City as well as the Kristin Scott Thomas- directed drama North Star. She is set to further ramp up her cinematic output in the near future, with no less than five films in various stages of production.

MUSIC AND THEATRE
In addition to her success in film, Johansson’s influence extends to the world of theatre and music. In 2010, she made her Broadway debut in a limited revival run of the Arthur Miller play A View from the Bridge for which Johansson won a Tony Award for her performance as Catherine. She made a return to Broadway three years later in a revival of the Tennessee Williams play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Compared to her sporadic dabbles into theatre, Johansson has a relatively long history in music. The first glimpse of her singing ability came in Lost in Translation when she sang in a karaoke scene. While she then guested in compilations and soundtracks, it was the release of her debut album Anywhere I Lay My Head in 2008 that represented her first serious foray into music making.

The album, consisting mostly of Tom Waits covers (Johansson is a self-confessed avid Tom Waits fan), received mixed reviews. For example, Pitchfork’s Stephen Deusner noted that Johansson’s voice is “limited” and her pitch is “occasionally shaky”, even though she has a “wide textural range”. On the other hand, there were also critics who were greatly impressed by her debut effort. For example, NME’s Priya Elan called Anywhere I Lay My Head a “brilliant album that will no doubt top some ‘best of 2008’ lists”. Nevertheless, the lead single Falling Down did relatively well in the US, peaking at #21 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Johansson then quickly followed up on Anywhere I Lay My Head with her sophomore album Break Up – a collaboration with singer- songwriter Pete Yorn that is inspired by the 1960s duets of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot.

PERSONAL LIFE
Johansson once commented about her relationships: “I don’t talk about my personal relationships. It always ends up kicking you in the face. But I’ve read a lot of things about myself and think, “Wow! That girl sounds really saucy.””

“Infinity War and Endgame are among the top ten biggest hits of all time, with both grossing over US$2 billion worldwide. These, no doubt, helped to elevate Johansson to the mantle of the highest grossing actor in the world. On the other hand, Black Widow was a recognition of the many years she had committed to the franchise, and a final acknowledgement of the enduring legacy and popularity of her character. The film explored Black Widow’s past and her journey towards redemption, providing a satisfying conclusion to the character’s arc in the MCU.”

As her career began to ascend in the 2000s, Johansson’s personal life did start to attract a lot of attention and fill up countless tabloid pages. Her early relationships were a particular subject of speculation. While she briefly dated Jared Leto in the early 2000s, her first real high-profile romance was with Josh Hartnett during the mid-2000s. The relationship, which lasted for two years, drew significant media attention, but the couple, known for keeping their personal lives private, eventually went their separate ways due to their busy schedules.

In 2007, Johansson began dating Ryan Reynolds and her personal life took a significant turn when she married Reynolds in a private ceremony held in Tofino, British Columbia in 2008. The union marked a high-profile Hollywood marriage, but the couple strived to keep their personal life private and were rarely photographed together. Unfortunately, the media scrutiny and the demands of their respective careers ultimately contributed to the decision to divorce. In end 2010, Johansson and Reynolds announced their separation, and their divorce was finalised the following year. Johansson admitted that she was devastated by the decision, saying “It was horrible. Of course, it’s horrible. It was devastating. It really throws you. You think that your life is going to be one way, and then, for various reasons or whatever, it doesn’t work out.”

Following the end of her marriage to Reynolds, Johansson delved into new relationships with a commitment to preserving her privacy. In 2012, she began dating French journalist Romain Dauriac. The couple maintained a low profile, and in 2013, they became engaged. Johansson and Dauriac welcomed their daughter, Rose Dorothy Dauriac, into the world in August 2014 and the couple married later the same year. The arrival of Rose marked a significant chapter in Johansson’s life as she embraced motherhood while continuing to navigate the demands of her flourishing career.

Despite the joy of becoming a mother, Johansson’s marriage to Dauriac faced its own set of challenges. The couple ultimately decided to part ways, and their divorce was finalised in January 2017. But Johansson’s love life did not stand still. She was soon spotted kissing Saturday Night Live (SNL) comedian Colin Jost at a SNL afterparty in May 2017. It was not a love-at-first-sight relationship though. The couple had actually met way back in 2006 on the SNL set when Johansson was hosting an episode of the comedy show and Jost was in the writer’s room.

The couple continued to date for three years before tying the knot in October 2020. The following year, Johansson and Jost welcomed their son, Cosmo. The couple’s relationship has remained strong as they appeared supportive and aligned in their personal and professional lives. While they have kept their relationship largely out of the public eye, occasional glimpses into their dynamic revealed a couple grounded in shared values, humour and mutual respect. Indeed, Johansson has attributed their successful relationship to how they “move around the world in the same way.”

 

ACTIVISM AND PHILANTHROPY
Amidst the many personal and professional changes throughout her life, Johansson has maintained a strict commitment to social advocacy and philanthropy. She became involved with Oxfam in 2005 and served as the organisation’s Global Ambassador for eight years, starting in 2007. In 2007, she even skipped the Oscars in order to tour India and Sri Lanka as part of Oxfam projects. During the 10- day trip, she visited an Oxfam-funded school in Uttar Pradesh, got involved in a few healthcare projects and a domestic violence project involving Indian women. Johansson also travelled to Sri Lanka to see how the charity was helping in reconstruction projects after the 2004 tsunami. These experiences deepened her understanding of the complexities surrounding poverty and inspired her to become even more actively involved in philanthropy.

Unfortunately, Johansson’s involvement with Oxfam became a subject of controversy in 2014. She faced criticism due to her association with SodaStream, an Israeli home fizzy drink dispenser company operating in the West Bank, which Oxfam deemed inconsistent with its policy on businesses operating in Israeli settlements. In response to the controversy, Johansson ended her association with Oxfam, stating that she had a fundamental difference of opinion with the organisation regarding the role of SodaStream in the region.

In addition to her work with Oxfam, Johansson’s philanthropic endeavors also included organisations addressing various other issues. In 2011, she collaborated with Planned Parenthood, a non-profit organisation that provides reproductive health services and advocates for women’s rights. In 2020, amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, she participated in the All In Challenge, a charitable initiative aimed at providing food to those in need and addressing the economic impact of the pandemic. The challenge enables people to get the chance to win various prizes offered by stars that benefit charity. Johansson offered a unique experience: a virtual cooking session and dinner date with herself and her fellow Avengers co-star, Mark Ruffalo, with the proceeds going to hunger- relief organisations.

In addition to these initiatives, Johansson’s commitment to philanthropy also involves using her public profile to generate support and awareness for causes ranging from disaster relief to social justice. For example, she spent time helping Hurricane Katrina victims by dishing out food from USA Harvest to the homeless at the Made Love Cafe in St. Benard Parish in New Orleans, while she also shot advertisements for international groups like Global Call to Action against Poverty and Global Campaign for Education.

Further to these, Johansson is also an avid supporter of Soles4Souls, which helps entrepreneurs start and grow businesses that sell donated shoes and clothing. Johansson has donated over 2,000 pairs of new shoes in the past and advocated, “If you can’t dig deep in your pockets, than dig in your closet!”

A BUSY 2024
With no less than five projects in the pipeline, Johansson is set to be very busy in 2024. These projects include Tower of Terror, a thriller slated to be directed by Taika Waikiki; Bride, a drama about a woman created to be an ideal wife but who is forced to flee her confined existence when she rejects her creator; and a romantic comedy previously titled Project Artemis co-starring Channing Tatum and Woody Harrelson, which is set against the backdrop of the 1960s space race. The latter is slated for release on 12 July. Johansson is also on board as a producer for all three films. Besides her upcoming film projects, Johansson is also gearing up for her major television debut in the Amazon adaptation of John Katzenbach’s novel Just Cause. In this limited series, Johansson will portray Madison “Madi” Cowart, a female rendition of the original character.

With this slew of projects, we are set to see much more of Johansson in the coming year after her self-imposed hiatus during the pandemic. These potential blockbusters are only likely to add to her cumulative box office takings as she bids to hold on to the title of the highest grossing actor in the world. Will Johansson retain her box office crown in 2024? Time will tell.

@PRIME