Scarlett Johansson Shares Her Experience of Feeling Limited by Her Looks Early in Her Career
After over three decades in the film industry, Scarlett Johansson has shared insights into the challenges she faced early in her career, particularly regarding being typecast.
In a recent interview on CBS Sunday Morning, the two-time Oscar nominee reflected on how Hollywood’s focus on women’s appearances was prevalent in the early 2000s, describing that era as “socially acceptable” for such scrutiny. “It was such another time too,” Johansson noted. “Growing up in the industry, and then being a woman, a 20-something-year-old woman in the early 2000s, in the spotlight in general, it was just a really harsh time. Women were just pulled apart for how they looked in a way that was socially acceptable at the time.”
Johansson elaborated on the pressures faced by women in the industry, indicating that opportunities for actresses her age were significantly limited. “It was tough. There was a lot placed on how women looked. What was offered at that time for women my age, as far as acting roles or opportunities, was much slimmer than it is now,” she stated.
The actress, known for her role in Jurassic World Rebirth, praised the evolution of roles available to women, noting, “There are much more empowering roles now, compared to the ‘slim pickins’ for young women in the ’90s and aughts.” She added, “You would get really pigeon-holed and offered the same [roles]. It would be like the other woman, or the side piece, the bombshell. That was the archetype that was prevalent when I was that age.”
Having made her feature directorial debut with Eleanor the Great last year, Johansson is set to return to the screen alongside Adam Driver in James Gray’s upcoming film Paper Tiger.
