Scarlett Johansson shared her worry about the entertainment industry’s treatment of young female workers, who are often objectified and not valued beyond their appearance. This is a sad reality that needs to change.
During an appearance on the Table for Two podcast, Scarlett Johansson discussed her efforts to avoid being typecast as a “bombshell” actress and how she shifted her career focus as a result. The Black Widow star reflected on her teenage years and her experiences filming Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring, describing the production process as a surreal experience. Johansson admitted that she faced numerous challenges while working on Lost in Translation and felt objectified by others, which led her to feel like a naïve young woman. Furthermore, she revealed that at 18-19 years old, she was still exploring her own sexuality and femininity, but found it difficult to break out of the early career path she had established for herself.
Scarlett Johansson recently shared her experience of feeling stuck in the early stages of her acting career during an interview. She revealed that she was constantly pressured to fit into a certain stereotype – that of a “bombshell” actress, which typically led to her being cast as the seductive mistress or object of desire in many productions. However, Johansson’s fortunes took a positive turn when she met Bryan Lourd, her partner and co-chairman at Creative Artists Agency. She admits that it would have been tempting to continue along the same path but came to the realization that pigeonholing herself as a “bright and quick” bombshell could hinder her future prospects. Curiously, during a previous podcast conversation, Johansson also expressed discomfort with feeling over-sexualized despite not personally identifying as a particularly sexual person.