As an actress that has been a fairly big name in the industry for the better part of 20 years, you would think Scarlett Johansson would be one of the most careful and calculated interviewees around. However, the Oscar-nominated actress has never been one to bite her tongue and that is an attribute that has caused her problems over the last several years. And according to a new interview with The Gentlewoman, she’s well aware of her nature, but she doesn’t really want to be considered an overtly political person. That’s not her job.
“I’m going to have opinions about things because that’s just who I am,” she explained. “I mean, everyone has a hard time admitting when they’re wrong about stuff, and for all of that to come out publicly, it can be embarrassing. To have the experience of, Wow, I was really off mark there, or I wasn’t looking at the big picture, or I was inconsiderate. I’m also a person.”
Johansson added, “I can be reactive. I can be impatient. That doesn’t mix that great with self-awareness.”
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Her most recent controversies came after being attached to play a trans person in a film titled “Rub N’ Tug.” Based on the true story of a Pittsburgh trans person who ran a criminal operation, Johansson was signed on to reteam with her “Ghost in the Shell” (another film that caused a bit of outrage due to whitewashing claims) filmmaker, Rupert Sanders. People were upset that a cis woman was taking the trans role and eventually the actress made some not-so-smart comments about the situation, causing even more backlash. The film would eventually fall apart, but controversy continued for Johansson.
Shortly after the “Rub N’ Tug” incident, Johansson was interviewed and asked about whether or not she’d work with Woody Allen, who has been effectively blacklisted in recent years due to sexual abuse allegations. The actress took the opportunity to defend her filmmaking friend and support working with him in the future, once again causing problems.
Ultimately, Johnasson believes she has learned from these mistakes, but doesn’t understand why people continuously look towards her for political comments and hot takes.
“I don’t think actors have obligations to have a public role in society,” she explained. “Some people want to, but the idea that you’re obligated to because you’re in the public eye is unfair. You didn’t choose to be a politician, you’re an actor. Your job is to reflect our experience to ourselves; your job is to be a mirror for an audience, to be able to have an empathetic experience through art. That is what your job is.”
Johansson continued, “Whatever my political views are, all that stuff, I feel most successful when people can sit in a theatre or at home and disappear into a story or a performance and see pieces of themselves, or are able to connect with themselves through this experience of watching this performance or story or interaction between actors or whatever it is. And they’re affected by it and they’re thinking about it, and they feel something. You know? They have an emotional reaction to it – good, bad, uncomfortable, validating, whatever. That’s my job. The other stuff is not my job.”
Of course, Johansson has a lot of media publicity coming up as Marvel Studios prepares to release “Black Widow,” the first solo film for the actress’ ‘Avengers’ character. The film has been delayed for more than a year and will finally arrive in July. But after that, it’s unclear what she’s going to do. In fact, she doesn’t even want to work right now, due to the pandemic.
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“I just can’t work,” Johansson explained. “I don’t think the conditions that are required to work right now are conditions that I could work comfortably under. I’d rather wait until I could work in an environment where we can be connected to one another. I know people are just happy to have a job. Fortunately, I don’t have that urgency.”
“Black Widow” arrives in theaters and on Disney+ on July 9.
