There is little doubt that Scarlett Johansson has a far-reaching and inspiring power as an artist. For a native New Yorker who is only 21 years old, she has already received numerous awards including four Golden Globe nominations, the BAFTA Award (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her work in Lost In Translation (2003), and the Spanish Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Actress for her work in both Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003). Unquestionably, Johansson is a natural actress. But her theatrical ability is also a product of many years of experience.
Johansson has enjoyed and appreciated being a working actress ever since she was a child. “I remember being a little girl on the set of the first movie I did, North—it was a Rob Reiner movie—and I remember I looked up and saw this lighting rig with black paper all over it. It was the most fascinating thing I’d ever seen. We [the cast] were sitting at a dining room table in this blacked-out studio and there was this piece of lighting equipment, and it was suspended from the ceiling,” remembers Johansson. “[A]nd I think that it’s the illusion [creativity], the commitment to the illusion that is so exciting for me…You’ve got this little camera and this huge set that costs millions and millions of dollars and you think that it’s all being captured on film.”
However, Johansson’s career didn’t begin with film. She made her professional debut on stage at the tender age of eight with the off-Broadway production of Sophistry with Ethan Hawke. Since then, her performances in such films as The Horse Whisperer, In Good Company, and An American Rhapsody have not only earned her acclaim, but have also given her the opportunity to work with artists for whom she has the utmost admiration. Her most recent movie, Match Point, for which she has now received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress, is a prime example.
“I was immediately attracted to the project because of Woody [Allen]. I’ve been a huge fan of his since, probably, I was too young to watch most of his movies,” says Johansson. The film, about ambition and obsession, the seduction of wealth, and the often irreconcilable relationship between love and sexual passion, is extremely compelling. In it, Johansson plays Nola, the beautiful and alluring fiancée of Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode), who is the heir to his father’s fortune. Her life changes when one-time tennis pro Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) enters their lives and falls hard for her. Regarding her character, Johansson says, “I don’t really have anything in common with the character, I mean other than we are both strong-willed.”
But that is the nature of acting—taking on parts which are not necessarily true to your real self with sometimes little time to prepare. “I got a call from my agent saying, ‘Hey, Woody Allen is shooting a movie in London next week. What do you think?’” recalls Johansson. “I was so surprised.” But she knew she could play the character and as it turned out, it was actually one of the easier jobs she’s had. “I think we all [the cast] sort of felt that way,” she says, adding that much of the ease came because as a director, Allen is so relaxed and accessible.
Yet the ease in which an actor can execute a role isn’t the same as the ease of participating in film production. As Johansson will tell you, the life of a professional actor can be both physically and emotionally draining. “I’d say the most emotionally difficult part of my job is leaving my private life for months at a time. It can be really taxing when you’re working six days a week, 14-hour days, and you’re tired, you’re fatigued, you eat donuts all day [laughs], you’re malnourished,” says Johansson. “And then you talk to people back at home. Having any kind of relationship—whether it’s a sexual relationship or a friendship or with your family—over the phone; it’s just horrible…when you can’t see someone’s face.”
But at the same time, Johansson also views the hardship of constantly being on the go as one of the best parts of her job because it allows her to travel and explore other cities. In fact, if you ask her what she would do if she wasn’t in entertainment, her answers—ranging from helping the environment to exploration to archeology—have an adventurous appeal.
Of course, those are option B’s. As you can imagine, she’s quite content about the opportunities she’s been afforded. “I’m doing what I love to do and I get paid to do it. I think about movies all the time, and if I’m not thinking about movies, I’m watching them or talking about developing them or in the process of making them. I love the whole process of making films. It’s a magical experience.”
Arguably, films are even more magical from a viewer’s perspective… especially when Johansson is playing the lead.

–David Krissman