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Scarlett Johansson - Biography |
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Johansson was born in New York City.
Her father, Karsten Johansson, is a Danish-born architect, and her
paternal grandfather, Ejner Johansson, was a screenwriter and director.
Her mother, Melanie Sloan, a producer, comes from a Jewish family in the
Bronx. Johansson's parents met in Denmark, where her mother lived with
Johansson's maternal grandmother, Dorothy, a former bookkeeper and
schoolteacher. Johansson has an older sister, Vanessa, who is also an
actress; an older brother, Adrian; a twin brother, Hunter, also an actor;
and a half-brother, Christian, from her father's re-marriage.
Johansson grew up in a household with "little money" with a mother who was
a "film buff". Johansson began her theater training by attending and
graduating from Professional Children's School in Manhattan in 2002.
Johansson began acting during childhood, after her mother began taking her
to auditions. She made her film debut in 1994's North. After appearing in
several films during the late 1990s, Johansson garnered praise and
widespread attention for her performance in 1998's The Horse Whisperer and
2001's Ghost World.
She won the "Upstream Prize" for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival
for her performance in 2003's Lost in Translation. The same year, she was
nominated for two Best Actress awards at the Golden Globes, one for drama
(Girl with a Pearl Earring) and one for comedy (Lost in Translation). She
was also nominated for Best Actress for both films at the BAFTAs, and won
Best Actress for Lost in Translation.
Johansson was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences in June 2004. In the same year, she starred in the films The
Perfect Score, In Good Company and A Love Song for Bobby Long, the last of
which earned her a third Golden Globe Award nomination. Johansson was
involved for a short time with the film Mission: Impossible III, but was
not officially cast because of scheduling conflicts, although a falling
out with the film's star, Tom Cruise, had been both widely reported and
publicly denied. She was replaced by Keri Russell.
In July 2005, Johansson starred with Ewan McGregor in Michael Bay's The
Island, making her debut as a female lead in a mainstream action film. In
the same year, she starred in the Woody Allen-directed drama Match Point,
which opened in December. Johansson received her fourth Golden Globe
nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the role, but lost to Rachel
Weisz.
Johansson's next film, Scoop, another collaboration with Allen, was
released on July 28, 2006. The same year, she appeared in Brian De Palma's
The Black Dahlia, a film noir shot in Los Angeles and Bulgaria. Johansson
has noted that she was a De Palma fan and had wanted to work with him on
the film, even though she thought that she was "physically wrong" for the
part. Her reviews were mixed: CNN.com noted that Johansson "takes to the
pulpy period atmosphere as if it were oxygen," whereas the Kalamazoo
Gazette referred to Johansson as "miscast".
On January 14, 2006, Johansson hosted Saturday Night Live. Also in 2006,
Johansson starred in a short film directed by Bennett Miller and set to
Bob Dylan's "When the Deal Goes Down...", released to promote Dylan's
album, Modern Times. Johansson's thriller The Prestige, opened on October
20, 2006.
She made a return appearance on Saturday Night Live on April 21, 2007,
during which she dueted with Andy Samberg for a version of "Something to
Talk About".
Her newest film, The Nanny Diaries, in which she stars alongside Alicia
Keys, opened on August 24, 2007. In post-production as of August 2007,
Johansson stars opposite Natalie Portman and Eric Bana in The Other Boleyn
Girl, playing Mary Boleyn. Also in August 2007, she is filming her third
Woody Allen film, his "Untitled Spanish Project", in Barcelona.
Johansson has signed on for three new projects. She was cast to the femme
fatale Silken Floss opposite Gabriel Macht in Frank Miller’s noir comedy
adaptation of Will Eisner's comic The Spirit. The movie is scheduled to go
into production October 2007. She will also portray Mary, Queen of Scots
in a film scheduled to begin production in March 2008 and appear as a
pilates instructor in He's Just Not That Into You, with Drew Barrymore,
Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Ginnifer Goodwin, and
Justin Long. The film is directed by Ken Kwapis and produced by Barrymore.
In 2005, Johansson was considered for the role of Maria in Andrew Lloyd
Webber's West End stage version of The Sound of Music, though the role
ultimately went to newcomer Connie Fisher after she won BBC's talent show
"How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" Released May 8, 2006, Johansson
sang the track "Summertime" for Unexpected Dreams - Songs from the Stars,
a non-profit collection of songs recorded by Hollywood actors. She also
performed with The Jesus And Mary Chain for a special Coachella Reunion
Show in Indio, California in April 2007.
In the summer of 2007, Johansson spent about a month in Maurice, Louisiana
recording an album at Dockside Studio, a rural 12-acre complex. The album,
entitled Scarlett Sings Tom Waits, consists entirely of Johansson's cover
versions of Tom Waits songs. It is being produced by Dave Sitek of TV on
the Radio and features members from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Celebration.
In 2006, Johansson was the leading lady in Bob Dylan's music video for
"When the Deal Goes Down". In 2007, she appeared as the leading lady in
Justin Timberlake's music video for "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around",
nominated in August 2007 for video of the year at the MTV Video Music
Awards.
Johansson endorsed the Calvin Klein perfume "Eternity Moment" and was
featured in several commercials and printed advertisements for the
product. One of the commercials was featured in her 2005 film The Island.
She became the face and spokesperson for Louis Vuitton in early 2005 and
has appeared in three of their ad campaigns: Spring 2005, Spring 2007 and
Fall 2007. In January 2006, she was named as a spokesperson of L'Oreal.
In July 2006, Reebok signed a deal with Johansson to co-create "Scarlett
'Hearts' Rbk," athletic footwear scheduled for a debut in the spring of
2007. Johansson will also be featured in Reebok's global women's
advertising campaign, also in the spring of 2007. The company's press
releases described Johansson as a "world renowned style icon" and an
"inspiration for today's young women."
Johansson is a Democrat and campaigned for John Kerry in the 2004
presidential election. She was quoted as saying, of George W. Bush's
re-election, that "[she was] disappointed. I think it was a disappointment
for a large percentage of the population." Johansson has also taken part
in the anti-poverty campaign ONE which was organised by U2 lead singer
Bono.
Johansson says she has a connection to older men, and could not date
anyone under the age of 30. She does not discuss her personal life with
the press, saying "it's nice to have everybody not know your business."
This has not stopped Johansson from sharing "select" opinions and personal
details. Johansson's ex-boyfriend (and member of the band Steel Train),
Jack Antonoff, wrote lyrics that refer to Johansson in the song "Better
Love." Antonoff alludes to Johansson in the song "2 O'clock." She has been
linked to many famous men, including Derek Jeter, Benicio del Toro, Jared
Leto, Justin Timberlake and her Black Dahlia co-star Josh Hartnett. They
dated for about two years until the end of 2006, with Hartnett citing
their busy lives as the reason for the split. She is currently dating
Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds. In October 2007, she gave Reynolds her
wisdom tooth as a birthday present. Scarlett had the tooth dipped in gold
before stringing it onto a necklace.
Johansson says she does not believe in monogamy, and opined it is not
human nature to be with just one person. She also said "contrary to
popular belief... [she is] not promiscuous" and she works "really hard"
when she is in a relationship "to make it work in a monogamous way." She
gets tested for HIV twice a year, and has said "it's part of being a
decent human" and it is "disgusting" and "irresponsible" when people do
not do so.
Johansson is a cheese fanatic, saying: "My greatest vice is cheese.
Nothing else reigns over my life." She has criticized the media and
Hollywood for promoting an image that causes unhealthy diets and eating
disorders among women, saying "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."
Johansson appeared on the controversial cover of the March 2006 issue of
Vanity Fair in the nude with Oscar-nominated actress Keira Knightley and
world-renowned fashion designer Tom Ford.
In March 2006, she topped the U.S. edition of FHM's poll of the sexiest
women alive (in the UK edition Johansson was third). In 2007, Maxim named
Johansson #3 in their Hot 100 issue, In November 2006, Johansson was named
"Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire. About her religious affiliation,
Johansson says: "That's a very personal question. I would rather not
answer." She celebrates a "little of both" referring to Christmas and
Hanukkah. She dislikes when celebrities thank God or Jesus in their award
acceptance speeches. She described herself as Jewish when she was talking
about Woody Allen. "I just adore Woody," she says. "We have a lot in
common. We're New Yorkers, Jewish. We have a very easygoing relationship". |
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Scarlett Johansson - Personal Quotes |
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"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."
"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" - commenting on why she was glad that Girl with a Pearl
Earring (2003) was a small foreign production.
"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!"
"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." [On filming The Island (2005)]
"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." |
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Scarlett Johansson - Filmography |
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Mary Queen of Scots (2008)
.... Mary, Queen of Scots
The Spirit (2009) .... Silken Floss
... aka Will Eisner's The Spirit (USA: poster title)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) (post-production) .... Christina
He's Just Not That Into You (2008) (post-production)
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) (post-production) .... Mary Boleyn
The Nanny Diaries (2007) .... Annie Braddock
"Robot Chicken" .... Dolores / ... (4 episodes, 2005-2006)
- Donkey Punch (2006) TV episode
- Veggies for Sloth (2006) TV episode (voice) .... Dolores/Veronica
Lodge
- A Piece of the Action (2005) TV episode (voice) .... Various
- Toyz in the Hood (2005) TV episode (voice) .... Tooth Fairy
The Prestige (2006) .... Olivia Wenscombe
The Black Dahlia (2006) .... Kay Lake
... aka Black Dahlia (Germany)
Scoop (2006) .... Sondra Pransky
The Island (2005) .... Jordan Two Delta / Sarah Jordan
Match Point (2005) .... Nola Rice
In Good Company (2004) .... Alex Foreman
The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie (2004) (VG) (voice) .... Mindy
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) (voice) .... Mindy
A Good Woman (2004) .... Meg Windermere
... aka Seduttrici, Le (Italy)
A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004) .... Pursy Will
The Perfect Score (2004) .... Francesca Curtis
... aka Voll gepunktet (Germany)
Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) .... Griet
... aka Jeune fille ŕ la perle, La (Luxembourg: French title)
Lost in Translation (2003) .... Charlotte
Eight Legged Freaks (2002) .... Ashley Parker
An American Rhapsody (2001) .... Zsuzsi/Suzanne Sandor (at 15)
... aka Amerikai rapszódia (Hungary)
Ghost World (2001) .... Rebecca
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) .... Birdy Abundas
My Brother the Pig (1999) .... Kathy Caldwell
The Horse Whisperer (1998) .... Grace MacLean
Home Alone 3 (1997) .... Molly
Fall (1997) .... Little Girl
Manny & Lo (1996) .... Amanda
If Lucy Fell (1996) .... Emily
"The Client" .... Jenna (1 episode, 1995)
... aka John Grisham's The Client
- Pilot (1995) TV episode .... Jenna
Just Cause (1995) .... Kate Armstrong
North (1994) .... Laura Nelson |
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Scarlett Johansson - Related Links |
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Wikipedia: Scarlett Johansson
YouTube: Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson at Celebs, Inc.
Scarlett Johansson at Babemania.com
Top Celebrities Sites:
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