The Black Widow star revealed the hard moment she lived when she was rejected for a role and her firm intention to leave Hollywood
Behind the success, the flashes, and the roles that make a Hollywood figure a true celebrity, there is an unknown story, and Scarlett Johansson decided to share with the world one of the most difficult moments that she had to go through throughout her long and consolidated career. With absolute sincerity and without fear of being vulnerable, the protagonist of Black Widow recalled in an interview the roles she lost to other great actresses and confided that, even when fame is already there, rejection is a difficult pill to swallow.
In a chat with Variety magazine, the actress opened up and explained that she almost left acting when, in casting, they chose another actress instead of her. "They rejected me for two roles: the first was Iron Man 2 (2010) and the other was Gravity (2013), by Alfonso Cuarón," she said. “I wanted that role so badly. It was a kind of straw that overflowed the camel's back. I felt really frustrated and hopeless, like, 'Am I doing the right job?'” she recalled.
Although Johansson couldn't become Dr. Ryan Stone, she praised the work of her colleague. “I did a screen test for the movie Gravity, which Sandra Bullock is fantastic in. She had to be in the spacesuit and pretend she was floating in space, even though she was actually sitting in a chair with a helmet on,” she reviewed.
Fight Stereotypes
To explain a little more in-depth the disappointments of the rejection she felt when she was left out of Gravity, Johansson explained that after her work in Sofia Coppola's film Lost in Tokyo (2003) she was typecast like a bomb, that stereotype stunted her growth. as an actress. “The job I was offered afterward felt deeply unsatisfying,” she explained. “I think they offered me all the Marilyn Monroe scripts. I thought: 'Is this the end of my creative journey?'”
A few months ago, on a visit to iHeart Radio's Table for Two podcasts, Johansson recalled that shoot and revealed that it wasn't satisfying for her. "That filming was very hard," she said. "Our characters [Murray's and his] had a very deep relationship and that was difficult for me, it was difficult for me to make that film for many reasons," said the actress, who added that, at 17, when the film was completed filming, he felt like he had been in a "fever dream."
That memory is linked to her team that represented her at that time when she was taking her first steps in the industry and was forced to accept roles. “Young girls are treated like objects, that's a given, so I think whatever box they put you in is going to define the rest of your life. Now obviously women have greater decision-making power over the path they want to follow ”, the actress of Historia de un matrimonio expanded. "In my teens, I started playing the role of a woman who was the object of desire and then I couldn't get out of there, I was stuck to it," she added.
Change of Luck
Fortunes turned for Johansson when Emily Blunt, who was originally cast as crime fighter Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2 (2010), was forced to leave the project due to a scheduling issue, and the role ended up. at the hands of who later became one of Woody Allen's favorite actresses. “The best call is the one you get after you get turned down for something,” she told Parade when she landed that role. “You appreciate it more. Basically, I have made a career being the second option.
Over the next decade, Johansson starred in several of Marvel's films, starring in hits like Her (2013), Lucy (2014), Jojo Rabbit (2019), and Marriage Story (2019). Black Widow, from 2021, was her last movie in the Avengers universe. “I absolutely loved every filming experience I had, working 10 years with Marvel and with that incredible cast, and I love the character of Natasha,” she explained of the ending. “I have a lot of empathy for her, and it was amazing to build that character over such a long period.”
Today, the Tony Award winner is enjoying the aftermath of her latest work and delving into the world of Wes Anderson with the comedy Asteroid City. The film earned a six-minute standing ovation at the Cannes film festival last month. The eccentric and prolific 54-year-old director-producer wrote the actress the role of Midge Campbell, whom Johansson describes as a "sociopath."
