Scarlett Johansson felt cornered by early career 'Bombshell' casting: 'I was kind of neat'

Scarlett Johansson reflects on the impact of her decades of career on her view of herself.

In an episode of the "Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi" podcast (via ), Johansson opened up about roles in "Lost in Translation" and "Girl With the Pearl Earring," which she followed up with roles in movies like "Scoop," "Match Point," "The Black Dahlia," "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," and "He's Just Not That Into You," often playing a seductive-type character. Johansson admitted to having to break free from typography and unraveling his own identity growing up in the spotlight.

"I did 'Lost in Translation' and 'Girl With the Pearl Earring', and at that point I was 18, 19 and I was stepping into my own femininity and learning about my own desirability and sexuality," Johansson said. “I was kind of groomed, kind of, to be what you call a bombshell type actor. I was playing the other woman and the object of desire and suddenly I found myself stuck in this place. I couldn't get out of it."

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She continued, "It would be easy to sit across from someone in that situation and say, 'It works.' But for that kind of bombshell, you know, it burns fast and then it is done and you don't have the opportunity beyond that. It was an interesting and weird puzzle, but it really came down to working on it and trying to carve out your place in different projects and working in big ensembles . »

Johansson credited CAA Partner, Managing Director and Co-Chair Bryan Lourd for helping her pursue other roles, such as joining Marvel as Natasha Romanoff in 2010's 'Iron Man 2'

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"I had this incredible opportunity to work in the second 'Iron Man', the part of which at the time was very underdeveloped and over-sexualized, but I wanted to establish a relationship with Jon Favreau with whom I 've worked a few times after that, which is inspiring for me. And I also wanted to work with Kevin Feige, who's the head of Marvel, who I knew had a big picture vision," said she said.

Johansson went on to direct the standalone "Black Widow" movie as well as all of the "Avengers" episodes. The “Marriage Story” Oscar nominee filed a lawsuit against Disney in July 2021 over the day-and-date streaming premiere of “Black Widow” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Johansson's lawyer claimed the decision was a "misogynistic attack" on the actress, who also produced the feature film.

Johansson received a $20 million salary for the film up front, but she alleged that was on the condition that the film be released exclusively in theaters. The breach of employment lawsuit was settled in September 2021 for an undisclosed sum.

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