Scarlett Johansson was born in New York City. Her mother, Melanie Sloan, is from an Ashkenazi Jewish family, and her father, Karsten Johansson, is Danish. Scarlett showed a passion for acting at a young age and starred in many plays. She has a sister named Vanessa Johansson, a brother named Adrian, and a twin brother named Hunter Johansson born three minutes after her. She began her acting career starring as Laura Nelson in the comedy film North (1994). The acclaimed drama film The Horse Whisperer (1998) brought Johansson critical praise and worldwide recognition. Following the film's success, she starred in many other films including the critically acclaimed cult film Ghost World (2001) and then the hit Lost in Translation (2003) with Bill Murray in which she again stunned critics. Later on, she appeared in the drama film Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003).
In 2003, she was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, one for drama (Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)) and one for comedy (Lost in Translation (2003)). She dropped out of Mission: Impossible III (2006) due to scheduling conflicts. Her next film role was in The Island (2005) alongside Ewan McGregor which earned weak reviews from U.S. critics. After this, she appeared in Woody Allen's Match Point (2005) and was nominated again for a Golden Globe Award.
Since then, she has appeared as part of an ensemble cast in the romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You (2009), in the action superhero film Iron Man 2 (2010), the comedy-drama We Bought a Zoo (2011) and started as the original scream queen, Janet Leigh, in Hitchcock (2012).
Scarlett and Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds were engaged in May 2008. In 2010, the couple announced their separation and subsequently divorced in 2011. In 2013, she became engaged to French journalist Romain Dauriac.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Jack Pearce
Spouse (2)
| Romain Dauriac | (1 October 2014 - present) (1 child) |
| Ryan Reynolds | (27 September 2008 - 1 July 2011) (divorced) |
Trade Mark (5)
Often plays characters who look and act older than their age
Frequently works with Woody Allen
Full lips
Seductive husky voice
Curvaceous, buxom figure
Trivia (101)
Received an "introducing" credit for The Horse Whisperer (1998) although it was her seventh feature film.
Has a younger twin brother, Hunter Johansson.
Attended and graduated from Professional Children's School in Manhattan, New York City in 2002.
Grandchild of writer Ejner Johansson.
Scarlett's mother, Melanie Sloan, who is from the Bronx, is from an Ashkenazi Jewish family (from Poland, Belarus, and Russia). Scarlett's father, Karsten Johansson, is Danish (his own paternal grandfather was Swedish, while his other family is Danish).
Was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in June 2004.
Applied to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts for the
fall 2003 semester, but was not accepted. The rejection allowed her to
focus on her career, which blossomed soon after.
Shortly after Lost in Translation
(2003) was released, she said she had a connection to older men and
couldn't see herself dating anyone under 30. True to her word, she had a
relationship with actor Benicio Del Toro, who is 17 years her senior.
Was cast as Rebecca in Thumbsucker (2005), but dropped out before filming commenced and was replaced by Kelli Garner.
Her father Karsten Johansson, a New York architect, and mother Melanie Sloan, her manager, now divorced, separated when she was 13.
Campaigned for John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential Election.
Celebrated her 20th birthday at Disneyland.
Has an older half-brother (Christian Johansson), an older sister (Vanessa Johansson, an older brother (Adrian Johansson, born 1976) and a twin brother (Hunter Johansson).
Planned to attend Purchase University to study film.
Her older sister Vanessa Johansson is also an actress.
Prepared for her role in Lost in Translation (2003) by living on Hokkaido with then-boyfriend Faiz Ahmad.
She is three minutes older than her twin brother Hunter Johansson. She says these three minutes are the most important in her life.
Had a tonsillectomy.
First role (uncredited) was in a skit, during the first year of Late Night with Conan O'Brien
(1993), at age 8. She relived this moment during an interview with
Conan on July 12, 2005, twelve years later. Also in the skit was
11-year-old Melissa Claire Egan.
Ranked #9 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World (2005). And was also the highest ranking new entry to the list.
Is often ranked on the "Maxim Hot 100" list. She was ranked #63 in
2002, #13 in 2004, #24 in 2005, #6 in 2006, #3 in 2007, #2 in 2008, #34
in 2009, #14 in 2011, #17 in 2012, #15 in 2013 and #2 in 2014.
Director Sofia Coppola directed both Scarlett and her boyfriend Josh Hartnett, but not in the same movie. Scarlett was in Coppola's Lost in Translation (2003) and Hartnett starred in The Virgin Suicides (1999)
She donated many items to Rocky Stone to be given to less fortunate kids as part of the Toy Mountain Campaign.
Chosen by FHM readers as "Sexiest Woman Alive" in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World (2006).
Has a cat named Trooper and a chihuahua named Maggie.
Named "Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire magazine. [October 2006]
Named #1 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement.
Was a member of the jury at the Venice Film Festival in 2004.
Has been named the Sexiest Celebrity of 2007 by Playboy magazine.
Is a huge fan of Woody Allen.
Was considered for the role of Susan Storm/Invisible Girl in Fantastic Four (2005), which went to Jessica Alba.
Was offered the role of Lindsey Farris in Mission: Impossible III (2006), which went to Keri Russell.
Is an alumni of the Lee Strasberg Institute such as actors Frank Miranda, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Dennis Hopper, Julia Roberts.
Was ranked #12 on Forbes magazine's List of The 20 Top-Earning Young Superstars (2007).
In 2006, she was earning $2 million per year representing L'Oreal cosmetics.
In 2007, Forbes magazine estimated her earnings for the year at $5 million.
Supports Barack Obama.
Was ranked #1 on Entertainment Weekly's '30 Under 30' the actress list (2008).
Raised money for international relief organization Oxfam by auctioning off two tickets for He's Just Not That Into You
(2009) on eBay, giving the winning bidders the opportunity to mingle
with her. By January 2014, she has severed her connection with Oxfam.
[March 2008]
(May 5, 2008) Announced her engagement to Ryan Reynolds, having been in a relationship with him since February 2007.
Was in a relationship with Josh Hartnett (December 2004-November 2006).
(September 27, 2008) Married fiancé Ryan Reynolds in a quiet ceremony in Canada.
An avid fan of Tom Waits,
she recorded an album comprised entirely of Tom Waits covers, titled
"Anywhere I Lay My Head". The album was released on May 16, 2008, but
was not widely recognized.
She says her only vice is cheese.
Replaced Brazilian Gisele Bündchen as the face of "Dolce & Gabbana" perfumes [2009].
French synth band The Teenagers wrote a song about her called "Starlett Johansson".
According to a poll of 5000 people conducted by Glamour magazine,
Johansson was voted as having the "World's Sexiest Body".
She was named the "Sexiest Celebrity" of the year by Playboy magazine. [February 2007]
Has another sister named Fenan. She was adopted by Johansson's mother Melanie Sloan from Ethopia in May 2010.
In 2010, she won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play after making her Broadway debut in Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge".
Johansson was named by GQ (men's magazine) as "Babe of the Year" for 2010.
Her husband, Ryan Reynolds
was named as the "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine (2010) during
the same time that Johansson was named as "Babe of the Year" by GQ
magazine.
Has been the ambassador of Moet & Chandon Champagne since 2009.
Her husband Ryan Reynolds filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. [December 2010]
Has appeared in advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, L'Oreal, and Louise Vuitton. In 2009, she was also the face of Dolce & Gabbana make-up.
Became the face of Spanish clothing company Mango in 2009.
Was ranked #7 on Ask men's top 99 "most desirable" women of 2011.
In 2006, she signed an endorsement deal with cosmetics brand L'Oreal for $4,000,000.
"The Looney Tunes Show" (2011) created a character called Starlet
Johansson in the episode "Casa De Calma" (June 2011), the character
resembles Scarlett Johansson.
Johansson was voted as the "World's Most Natural Beauty" according to a UK poll (2011).
Voted as having the "Best Breasts" in Hollywood by In Touch
magazine (2006) and the "Best Female Bum" according to a British poll.
Voted "Hollywood's Most Natural Beauty" by a survey of make-up artists (2006).
Ranked #32 in the 100 Hot Girls list by FHM UK (2011). Previously,
she was ranked #23 in 2010, #13 in 2009, #6 in 2008, #5 in 2007, #3 in
2006 and #68 in 2005.
Voted as one of the Most Beautiful People by People magazine in 2007 and 2010.
Voted #22 in Who magazine's "Most Beautiful People" (2010).
Voted as one of the "Twenty Most Beautiful People of the Decade" by Interview magazine (2009).
Ranked #3 in the 2009 FHM list of "Sexiest Women in the World".
Ranked #5 in the 2008 FHM list of "Sexiest Women in the World".
Ranked #4 Sexiest Woman in the World (2011) by the Spanish version of DT magazine.
Italian artist Francesco Clemente included a portrait of Scarlett in his deck of 78 custom-painted tarot cards, with her portrayed as the Queen of Swords.
Often ranked as having one of the "Most Beautiful Famous Faces" by
"The Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Famous
Faces From Around the World". She was ranked #42 in 2010, #71 in 2009,
#72 in 2008, #34 in 2007, #43 in 2006, #39 in 2005, #37 in 2004, #45 in
2003, and #48 in 2002.
Was considered for the role of Maggie Beauford in Lawless (2012), but Jessica Chastain was cast instead.
Auditioned for the role of Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). However, she did not get the role because she was considered too attractive for it. Rooney Mara was cast instead.
Featured in "The Beauty Book for Brain Cancer", a 312-page coffee-table book by photographer Darren Tieste.
The book features photos of celebrities, musicians and models who
donated their time to bring attention to brain cancer. Scarlett
Johansson was also chosen to be on the cover of the book (2011).
In 2008, a UK-based bidder paid £20,000 British pounds on an eBay
auction to benefit Oxfam, winning a pair of tickets to accompany
Johansson on a 20-minute date to the world premiere of the film He's Just Not That Into You (2009).
Has been an ambassador for Oxfam International since 2005.
Ranked #12 in Men's Health 100 Hottest Women of All Time (2011).
Voted #7 on Ask men's top 99 "most desirable" women of 2012.
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6931 Hollywood
Boulevard in Hollywood, California on May 2, 2012. At the ceremony were
her mother Melanie Sloan, grandmother, sister Vanessa Johansson and her The Avengers (2012) co-star Jeremy Renner.
She plays Marvel comic book character, Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, in the films Iron Man 2 (2010) and The Avengers (2012).
Her favorite action movie is Heat (1995).
Very close friends with her frequent co-star, Chris Evans, with whom she has appeared in four films: The Perfect Score (2004), The Nanny Diaries (2007) The Avengers (2012) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
She appeared with Samuel L. Jackson in three comic book adaptations: The Spirit (2008) Iron Man 2 (2010) and The Avengers (2012).
Named as one of the "most desirable" famous women for 2013 by Ask men's list of the top 99 "most desirable" women.
Lives in ultra trendy Los Angeles neighborhood, Los Feliz. Giovanni Ribisi, Bo Barrett, Brad Pitt, Chris Pine, Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Kristen Stuart, Michael Cera and Robert Pattinson are among the other actors who also call Los Feliz home.
She recorded the single "Before My Time" to the documentary Chasing Ice (2012) and the song was eventually nominated for Best Original Song at The Oscars
(2013). Subsequently, she was approached to perform the song at the
show, but was prevented to do so, due to her commitments with "Cat on a
Hot Tin Roof" on Broadway.
Was romantically involved with Jack Antonoff of indie/folk band, Steel Train. The songs, "Better Love", "2 O'Clock", "I Feel Weird" and "Dig", all contain references to Scarlett.
Auditioned for the roles of Judy Shepherd in Jumanji (1995) and Claire Colburn in Elizabethtown (2005). Both parts went to Kirsten Dunst instead.
Ex-girlfriend of Jared Leto (2004-2005).
Dislikes the nickname "ScarJo" that is commonly used by the media in reference to her.
Along with her siblings, attended the Junior School at the
Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre as a young actor taking
classes in acting, singing, and dancing.
Was 8 months pregnant with her daughter Rose when voicing scenes for The Jungle Book (2016).
Gave birth to her 1st child at age 29, a daughter Rose Dorothy
Dauriac on September 4, 2014. Child's father is her fiancé, Romain
Dauriac.
Was 8 months pregnant with her daughter Rose when she completed voicing scenes for The Jungle Book (2016).
Returned to work 2 months after giving birth to her daughter Rose to begin filming Hail, Caesar! (2016).
In August 2014, Mr. Skin ranked her nude scenes from Under the Skin (2013) at #1 on their list of "The Top 150 Greatest Celebrity Nude Scenes of All Time".
Personal Quotes (72)
I'm so tired of hearing casting directors ask if I have a sore
throat. The people who have told me that my voice is distinctive, it's
unusual... those people have always been close to my heart.
[commenting of why she was glad that Girl with a Pearl Earring
(2003) was a small foreign production] It would be hellish to have the
pressure of putting on a Hollywood ending or putting in a scene where
Vermeer sees Griet washing her breasts.
I always check in the mirror to make sure nothing is see-through.
I have a lot of actor friends who worked with their parents
closely and have had really horrible experiences. They end up suing or
being emancipated. The wonderful thing about my mom [who is also her
manager] is that she completely respects my creative weirdness and
supports any decision I make.
As long as people keep buying tabloids, they'll keep harassing people in the public eye. They'll make up stories.
On David Hasselhoff, after they had both worked on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
(2004): I so fancied him when I was young, that to see my name on the
credits next to his makes me go all girly. He was a hunk back in those
days.
I have an obsessive character. I manicure my nails at three in the
morning because nobody else can do it the right way. Maybe that's the
secret to my success.
It's a great thing to get older and learn. I don't feel bound in
any way by how many years I've lived. I identify just as much with my
86-year-old grandmother as I do with my sister.
People forget what it's like to be a child. When you're a child
actress, people sometimes regress into being obnoxious and patronizing.
But there's no reason to dumb things down just because you're working
with kids.
What I respect most in people is naturalness and authenticity. I
like to be able to see into their soul. I aspire to being a truthful
person.
The most precious moment in life is when you're about to fall in
love. You're lying in bed together and he's gazing at you and you're
gazing at him and there's a sense that something truly wondrous is about
to happen. It's a nervous moment - but it's exhilarating.
I am very independent. I can look after myself but I still need a lot of love and care.
I don't talk about my personal relationships, it always ends up
kicking you in the face. But I've read a lot of things about myself and
think, "Wow! That girl sounds really saucy.".
I think that I sort of see other actresses are kind of proud of
the way they look and show it off. That's never really been my style. I
really don't think that it's disgusting or wrong, if you're 18 you're
18, it's your body, it's your right to show yourself, however, I don't
really take a part in that. I like to look nice, but I think that
there's ways of doing it that are more tasteful than just wearing a
bikini wherever you go.
I don't know if I've got swept up. It's so shocking when you hear
that Calvin Klein wants you for their new campaign. You're like, 'who
me?'. I guess you have to decide where you draw the line between you
saying, this is fun, pretty and fabulous, and being over-exposed.
Well, you put a little piece of yourself into every character that
you do. Even if you're playing some psychotic person, which of course
I'm not, some part of you is in that character and it's hopefully
believable. I always come back to the fact that my own instinct is
better than something I build in my mind.
Tons of that stuff comes to me, but a lot of it is awful. All
these teenage slaying movies, and movies about girls that have
deformities that become cheerleaders and then marry the prom king!
I always had the chance to do whatever I wanted to do, my parents
were very open about that. Acting has been a passion of mine. I wanted
to be in musicals as a kid, and took tap dance, so for me it's a dream
come true, my childhood was filled with things that I loved to do, and
also very normal things: I lived in New York, I have a family life and
went to a regular school. If anything, I look back and think, "Wow, I
did a lot of things that a lot of people don't get to do in their
lifetime.".
It's a place of solace. I love London, it's an amazing city. I've
met some wonderful people there and I also have some family there. I'm
from New York, so I feel very at home in London. It's like a
metropolitan breeding ground for culture, art, music and diversity. It's
a beautiful city, with beautiful history. In Hollywood, it's hard to
step outside of the circle once you're in it. But in London I was really
moved by how accepted I felt there. There was definitely less need to
wear my big sunglasses!
[on filming The Island
(2005)] I came home and I thought I was going to die. I was in agony. I
had muscles that had atrophied. I couldn't run any longer and it was
only the first day. But, actually, Ewan was in the same boat. He had
black and blue marks all over him. So, it wasn't so bad since someone
else was in agony.
I don't think there's any kind of preparation for sudden
celebrity. I think you almost have this slight nervous breakdown when
that kind of media attention happens. I mean, you're doing the same kind
of thing that you do all the time, only you have to make these weird
adjustments. Like, you're buying a slice of pizza and somebody's outside
photographing you which is weird - that's not normal! It's very
uncomfortable.
Everyone in Hollywood is so damn skinny and you constantly feel
like you're not skinny enough. But I have 'fat days' and I accept that
I'm never going to be rail thin. It's hard not to feel pressure in this
industry and I already use anti-aging products on my skin. I try not to
let the pressure get to me but Los Angeles is a very hard place to be
unless you have people here that love you. It can be very, very lonely,
and it can eat you up if you don't take care of yourself.
I was driving through Los Angeles and I look up and see the
biggest photo of me I have ever seen in my life on a massive ad space. I
screamed and slammed on the brakes. I couldn't believe it. It's very
strange to see my cleavage the size of a brontosaurus. My breasts were
huge. I had long hair and my goodness, I couldn't get past the cleavage.
I don't think human beings are monogamous by nature. It's
difficult - you have to put a lot of effort into a relationship. I think
it's hard for actors to date each other because they are so damn moody.
You are away from people constantly and having a relationship that is
strictly by phone, it is miserable. Or if you say to him/her, "Hey,
(even though) I am doing a very sexy scene with this very sexy girl/boy,
I love you and I'm going to be thinking of you when I am rolling around
in bed with this person!".
We are supposed to be liberated in America but if our President
had his way, we wouldn't be educated about sex at all. Every woman would
have six children and we wouldn't be able to have abortions.
Whose life would I like to step into for the day? The president's.
I could probably get some things done in the Oval Office.
Do I ever get nervous about this, right now, being the pinnacle of
my career? Yeah, I do. At the end of (filming) every movie I think,
"Wow - this is the last one! Nice working with you.".
I'm curvy - I'm never going to be 5' 11' and 120 pounds. But I feel lucky to have what I've got.
[on Woody Allen] I just adore Woody. We have a lot in common. We're New Yorkers, Jewish. We have a very easygoing relationship.
[About getting to entertain US troops in the Persian Gulf in 2008]
This USO tour to the Gulf region truly means a lot. I've wanted to go
over and visit for some time, and now my moment has arrived. It's one
thing to reply to a letter or extend your thanks to service members in a
speech, but it's another thing to visit them and spend time with those
that do so much for us back home.
[on comparisons with Marilyn Monroe]
I love Marilyn. I think she was incredibly beautiful and a very
underrated actress. I am a curvy woman who is blonde, and perhaps we are
both comfortable in our femininity, but I think that is as far as the
comparison goes.
My natural hair color is dirty blonde. I've been a bottle blonde
before, very yellow - and a white blonde. My dad is Danish and he's a
natural blonde. I've even taken a clipping from his hair to the salon so
I can have it tinted the same color!
[on Katy Perry's song, "I Kissed a Girl", which was inspired by Scarlett Johansson] That's flattering, but my lips are kind of taken.
[on her trip to Rwanda and initiative to help fight against AIDS
in Africa] It was important for me to come here and see the issues we're
up against firsthand. I came here with an open mind, wanting to listen,
understand and learn; I leave with the overwhelming understanding that
the small action of making a (RED) choice in your purchases ... has an
enormous impact on the lives of people in countries like Rwanda.
I don't need to be skinny to be sexy.
There was this rumor mill cranking out stories that I had lost 14
pounds -- I could never lose 14 pounds. I can't look at somebody who is 6
feet tall and 120 pounds and say, I'm going to get that body. That's
just never going to happen. You have to work with what you've got.
[on her marriage to Ryan Reynolds]
I never really thought about getting married - it just kind of
happened. It seemed natural, the right thing to do. It was kind of a
celebration of the time... I'm kind of making my own little family now,
which is funny. It's like a little bit of a tribe. You hope that a
relationship makes you better, that you learn things about yourself.
I would love to work on Broadway, but I don't know that it would
manifest itself in musical theater... I have terrible stage fright that
I'd have to get over. It came on when I was a teenager, and I think it
somehow sticks with you.
I love to get ready for the red carpet, but being on it is very
uncomfortable. It's so freakish and weird. I get flop sweats, dry mouth,
heart palpitations, all-over panic!
I try to stay fit and eat healthily, but I am not anxious to
starve myself and become unnaturally thin. I don't find that look
attractive on women and I don't want to become part of that trend. It's
unhealthy and it puts too much pressure on women in general who are
being fed this image of the ideal, which it is not. I think America has
become obsessed with dieting rather than focusing on eating well,
exercising and living a healthy life. I also think that being ultra-thin
is not sexy at all. Women shouldn't be forced to conform to unrealistic
and unhealthy body images that the media promote. I don't need to be
skinny to be sexy.
[on winning a Tony Award] Being welcomed into this community has
been a dream come true for me. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted
to be on Broadway, and here I am.
[on working on Broadway] It was strange to think that this show is
going to go on whether it's good or bad. They will let the audience in
at some point, and they will see it, and we are going to be exposed for
better or for worse.
[on how she spends her free time] I'm still trying to figure out
what to do when I'm not making movies. I just don't do that many things.
(on being the face of Moet & Chandon Champagne) I am honored
to have been chosen as their ambassador and to make history with the
brand, as the first celebrity face of champagne.
[on her 2011 photo shoot for Mango clothing] Yes, it has been
great working with Mango. I loved working with the whole team - I think
between Mario, the makeup and hairdressing teams and the stylist, we
have created something special.
Sharing food is one of life's pleasures. On a global scale, we
don't share fairly. Close to a billion people go to bed hungry every
night. The fact is: the global food system is a broken one. All of us,
from Kentucky to Kenya, deserve enough to eat. That's why I'm joining
Oxfam's Grow campaign.
I feel comfortable as a young woman - a young, modern, liberal
person. I feel comfortable with my sexuality. However, I am protective
of my private life. I don't think that if you are in the public eye your
life is public. I am an actor. But you can't take things too seriously.
I don't feel mature. I always feel about the age I am. I know Robert Redford
described me as, '13 going on 30', but that's not how I felt at the
time. I am still dorky. I watch cheesy TV with TV dinners and, at one
point, could not stop watching Jerry Springer.
I started acting when I was seven. I had a couple of lines in this play called "Sophistry" with Ethan Hawke. I studied at the Lee Strasberg
Institute, and that really gave me an opportunity to perform before
live audiences. There's absolutely a difference between that and working
in film... like you can mess up in film and not worry about it.
[on the alleged nude photos of her which were stolen by hackers]
Just because you're in the spotlight, or just because you're an actor or
making films or whatever, doesn't mean that you're not entitled to your
own personal privacy. I think no matter what the context, if that is
besieged in some way, it feels unjust. It feels wrong.
[on her divorce in 2011] At first I was quite depressed. After
about a week or so I pulled myself together and started to go to the gym
all the time. Luckily I've got a few very close girlfriends who have
been by my side for 15 years now, whom I can talk to about everything
and confide in. I have a close relationship with my twin brother Hunter
as well. And then there's my grandmother Dorothy. She's an incredibly
sweet, lovely and wise woman.
I don't have a Facebook or a Twitter account, and I don't know how
I feel about this idea of, "Now, I'm eating dinner, and I want everyone
to know that I'm having dinner at this time," or "I just mailed a
letter and dropped off my kids." That, to me, is a very strange
phenomenon. I can't think of anything I'd rather do less than have to
continuously share details of my everyday life. I guess they
[celebrities] use it in a way that works for them. But I'd rather that
people had less access to my personal life. If I could keep it that way,
I'd be a happy lady.
There's a lot of things that I want to pursue and hopefully,
eventually will when all of this falls apart. I work with a lot of
nongovernmental organizations. I don't know if I'd want to start my own,
but I think I'd dedicate more of my time to that. It'd also be nice to
have a vineyard somewhere, an organic farm or something like that.
That's like a hippie-dippy wish - but a really good one.
One of the most exciting thing about The Avengers
(2012), is that in my opening scene the first thing you see is my
character getting punched in the face. Everybody's like, "Damn, it's
nice to see a girl get the shit kicked out of her.".
Unfortunately, my generation had a shitty time. Horrible bubblegum
pop boy bands and rap metal. It just wasn't my scene. There was some
good hip hop, though, like Fugees.
When I was 13, I loved Radiohead's The Bends and I loved Nine Inch Nails. When I graduated to a CD player, I'd listen to a lot of old Depeche Mode and New Order,
actually. I'd start rummaging through what my older brother had and
discover all this weird progressive new wave music that he'd been
listening to 10 years prior.
The first time I had a really private experience with an album was
when I was 10 and somebody gave me an Abbey Road cassette tape as a
Christmas stocking stuffer. I knew that goddamn tape backwards and
forwards. I had one of those Walkmans that you didn't have to flip over.
It had auto reverse and would just play over and over.
I wanted to be Frank Sinatra
and sing like him. He's got a voice like gold bullion. His voice is
like velvet cake. I loved all the Vegas stuff, but I liked the polka dot
and moonbeams stuff best. Early Frank, when he was just "Frankie", a
whisper of what he would someday be. I was a ham as a kid. I loved
musical theater, so from a young age, I admired how show-stopping
Sinatra was.
My parents' music became my music.
One of my favorite Waits (Tom Waits)
songs is "Burma Shave". We tried to do that... and couldn't. I asked
myself, "What is the essence of this song?" and I realized that I
couldn't do it because it's Tom. Tom is the essence.
A song like "Who You Are" is such a personal thing for Tom Waits.
I can't even pretend to imagine what it was born out of. I would never
try to interpret somebody else's emotion. I can only read the lyrics and
associate them with my own life experience. I had to sing them from my
own gut. The same way you would take somebody's written dialogue and
breathe your own life into it. I have the perspective that I have and I
can only work through that.
I grew up in a household that was very politically conscious... it
was just understood that it was important, that it was our
responsibility.
My brother was totally geeked-out by Katie Couric.
I think he followed her around the entire night. I was chasing after
him, and I turned around, and I had a bunch of Republican senators
chasing after me.
I think I understand my emotional state and my complexities now in
a much clearer way, and I can put them to rest in a way that there's
almost a catharsis that happens through the work, where I can do it and
then find myself again.
[on being thought of as sex symbol] Are you asking me if I feel
objectified? I think that, sure, I've been a 'victim' of that, if you
want to call it that, but only as much as anyone else. I don't feel
particularly singled out more than any other person. All you have to do
is go to a nightclub to see that happening every day. A man is not
always trying to undress a woman's brain first.
[on varying the roles she accepts] It would be such a waste to
just continue to do the same thing and not take a risk. I don't have
anything to lose, really. Even if it doesn't work out out, the gain if
it does is so much greater. Taking those risks is something I feel more
and more comfortable with.
I just didn't think that I would be able to stay in that kind of
twisted frenzy that a lot of actors feel they need in order to work.
There are plenty of moments on stage where you think, "If one of my boobs just fell out right now..."
I was always terrible at commercials because my voice was so deep.
At the age of 9, I sounded like a whiskey-drinking, chain-smoking fool.
With Her
(2013), it was about finding the shape of things and building this
character that's almost a babe - but just fresh out of the package in
every way.
Jonathan Glazer
is such a sensitive, engaged, funny person. But then you see the film
and you're like, "Jesus, is that what's in his mind all the time?"
I associate [ScarJo] with, like, pop stars. It sounds tacky. It's
lazy and flippant... And there's something kind of violent about it.
There's something insulting about it.
Salary (1)
| Iron Man 2 (2010) | $400,000 |
No comments:
Post a Comment