An Interview with Scarlett Johansson

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Do you enjoy walking up the red carpet at film premieres?
Oh, it's a lot of fun to be part of that process. But I'm still getting used to the photographers screaming at you to look this way, look that way. They keep yelling, 'Scarlett, Scarlett, come over here, let's have a smile,' 'No, no! Don't look over there! Turn around.' And you feel like saying, 'Hey, don't scream at me! I don't even know you.'

Your Calvin Klein advertising campaign spots and posters seem to be turning you into a very glamorous personality. Is that an image you like playing with?
The film world has a surreal quality to it and it's all about creating illusions in certain respects. So I like getting dressed up and playing with the glamour thing at times, but it's not as if I'm taking it or myself too seriously. The Calvin Klein ads and photos are really beautiful and I'm quite proud of them. But sometimes I have this strange feeling when I walk down the street and see a giant poster of my face on some billboard - kind of like what Bill Murray's character in Lost In Translation feels when he's in Tokyo and he sees his face on these giant signs. It's weird, but in a fun way.

You've made six films in the last 18 months. Don't you ever want to take a break?
(Laughs) I know. I'm such a workaholic, but I can't help myself... My mother keeps saying, 'Go to sleep - what's wrong with you?' I don't know what it is that keeps me going, because I'm exhausted half the time. But for some reason I can't take any time off because I get really anxious, and if I go on a vacation all I think about is work. I don't know. I guess sometimes the best work you do comes from a state of exhaustion. Of course, now that I've said that, you'll probably read about me having a nervous breakdown in the middle of filming somewhere...

How did you come by the acting bug?
I pretty much grew up dreaming of becoming an actress. My mom is an incredible movie buff, and so she showed us all kinds of movies as kids. I wanted to be Judy Garland in Meet Me In St Louis. I wanted to be Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame. And I pursued it and I wanted it more than anything. And when I was seven I got my first part in an off-Broadway play and then a year later I did a film called North. So that kind of set me on my way. It's a world I really love. Acting is such a wonderful form of expression because you can play with your subconscious and conscious selves and kind of slip in and out of this little world you create to become your character. It's almost like a drug.

Were you one of those typically precocious child actors?
I had a pretty strong will as a child and I always knew that I wanted to act and that I wanted to pursue that as a career. I don't even like to think of acting as a 'career' because the word sounds so boring and confining. Acting is all about passion for me, and I love the experience so much that it's not really work as much as doing something I've always loved to do and wanted as a life for myself. So everything that's happening to me now is part of a continuing dream coming true.

Are you trying to steer your career as much as possible towards more serious roles as opposed to ones that might strictly advance your career?
There's always this contradiction that you're dealing with because you want to do interesting work but at the same time you're conscious that it's a very serious business and you have to be open to different kinds of films. I haven't always made the right decisions but lately I'm very satisfied with the choices I've made and now we have to see how the audiences respond to them. I just turned 20, so I feel like I still have a lot of creative leeway to play different kinds of characters and not worry about how it affects my image or whatever.

There's always this talk in the media about your becoming a major sex symbol. How do you feel about that?
There's always a strong sexual undercurrent when it comes to certain roles and actors are always going to be associated with the glamorous side of this business. So you have to be willing to play with that image because it's part of the whole appeal of movies. I don't really see myself playing up to any one kind of image, though. I want to have the opportunity to have a long and interesting career and one day be able to look back on my work and feel proud of what I've accomplished. I also would like to direct films one day because that's another one of my dreams.

Is acting something that always came easily to you?
Yes. I'm a very instinctive actor. It's all about manipulating your emotions, which is a really bizarre line of work if you think about it, and which probably explains why so many actors go off the deep end.

Are you already speculating on how your life and attitudes might get warped as you move higher up the celebrity and stardom ladder?
I'm fairly outspoken and direct so I know that I'm not going to turn into some so-called celebrity who turns out manufactured quotes. I think I'll always be a bit provocative when it comes to what I think. Sometimes that might get me in trouble, but I'd rather be open and honest than someone who has to constantly play up to a certain image. I just don't want to turn into a plastic celebrity kind of actor who's always smiling in this stupid, empty way to look cool and sexy. I'd like there always to be something of me showing through whenever I'm photographed or doing an interview. I don't ever want to get to the point where I'm programming myself and just playing the star game. You're always faced with this pressure of making the right film choices and always looking good with the coolest dress. But you can't always be on. So you've just got to relax about it and not let it stress you.

Hollywood is a notoriously destructive place when it comes to relationships. Do you worry about how your fame might make your life more difficult in that respect?
Relationships are difficult under the best of circumstances, although I think I'm still in the process of finding out more about men. LA is definitely more dangerous when it comes to dating because there are a lot of predators out there and you have to be cautious. I guess that's another aspect of fame I'm trying to adjust to!

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