Scarlett Johansson Says She Felt “Frustrated And Hopeless” After Getting Turned Down For ‘Gravity’ & ‘Iron Man 2’

Scarlett Johansson is one of the most famous people on the planet and one of the most in-demand actors around. But in the mid-to-late-2000s, that was far from the truth. She was a young, struggling actor who was being given opportunities that didn’t interest her with no clear, exciting path forward in her career. And apparently, Johansson was almost broken down completely after losing the lead role in “Gravity.” 

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In a new interview with Variety, Scarlett Johansson talked about a tough time in her career. After earning tons of acclaim for her role in “Lost in Translation,” Johansson’s career hit a bit of a creative snag. She was being offered big roles, but mostly in rom-coms and other projects that didn’t excite her. So, she auditioned for two roles that she was hoping to land. One was “Iron Man 2,” where she would play Natasha Romanoff and join the MCU. The other was Alfonso Cuarón’s “Gravity,” where she would have had the lead role. Sadly, things didn’t go her way, and it was losing “Gravity” that put her in a dark place.

“I got turned down for two roles — the first was ‘Iron Man 2’ and then the other one was Alfonso Cuarón’s ‘Gravity,’” she explained. “I had wanted that role so much. It was sort of the straw that broke the camel’s back. I felt really frustrated and hopeless. Like, ‘Am I doing the right job?’ The work I was being offered felt deeply unfulfilling. I think I was offered every Marilyn Monroe script ever. I was like, ‘Is this the end of the road creatively?’” 

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Of course, we all know what happened next. No, she didn’t eventually get “Gravity.” That role did go to Sandra Bullock, who earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance. That would have hurt a lot if not for the circumstances surrounding “Iron Man 2.” 

As is well-documented, Marvel Studios passed on Johansson for the role of Romanoff, aka Black Widow, and gave it to Emily Blunt. However, Blunt would have to drop out before filming because she couldn’t get out of a contract to star in “Gulliver’s Travels.” (That film would end up being a massive misstep and not do nearly as well as “Iron Man 2.”) Marvel Studios then went back to Johansson and offered her the role she was initially passed over for. She accepted, and the rest is history.

Over the proceeding decade, she would appear as Black Widow in absolutely massive ‘Captain America’ and ‘Avengers’ films, eventually leading to her own standalone movie, released in 2021. It would become the role that defines her career and set her up as perhaps the biggest female star in the world. 

So, yeah, it sucks that she didn’t land “Gravity.” That would have been a huge win for her. But Johansson has to be proud of her work as Black Widow and the legacy she leaves behind in the world of Marvel.