Scarlett Johansson is known for more than just starring in The Avengers and Captain America movies. Johansson has pushed the boundaries of acting in the movie Under The Skin, a low-budget sci-fi thriller where she plays an alien hunting men in Europe. But, how does Johansson know what movie she will star in next? In an interview with the New York Times, Johansson revealed personal details about herself, her acting process, and how she picks different roles.
“I’ve always had the same principle for choosing roles, which is to try and make movies that I would pay to see.” – Scarlett Johansson
When it came to the Black Widow in the Marvel movies, Johansson said, “I’ve always had the same principle for choosing roles, which is to try and make movies that I would pay to see. As I get older that’s meant different things. I’ve never been a superhero-comic fan exactly. I did Iron Man 2 because I loved what [the director Jon] Favreau did with Iron Man. It spoke to me as someone who was not a fan of that genre, and I saw a future in building a character with Marvel. The idea of doing a franchise was exciting — being able to play a character over many installments, the challenge of playing a character who had a built-in fan base, and trying to put my stamp on that character.”
Johansson added that she enjoys trying and doing new things. “I look for projects with filmmakers who want to make things that give the audience a fresh experience… I’ve always been very competitive, and a part of that is pushing your boundaries — taking a risk, and being able to live with the loss that comes with taking a risk.”
Johansson also explained that she connected with the character Black Widow’s sense of vulnerability. “Admitting that you’re vulnerable is a very powerful thing. There’s something to be said for a character having a quiet strength about them. So many contradictory things make up a multidimensional personality. Breathing life into a character means celebrating and recognizing the fullness of them — that you can be a lot of things at one time, that it doesn’t have to be black or white.”
