During the initial phase of her career, Scarlett Johansson portrayed many alluring characters that were typically labeled as the ‘H๏t girl’. She confessed that she felt confined to such roles and was unable to break away from them.
In Hollywood, actors are often judged on their ability to portray a certain type of character, a practice known as typecasting. This approach can be limiting and frustrating for actors who possess versatile talents that extend beyond the stereotypical roles they are often assigned. It is particularly unfortunate that female actors tend to be typecast into overly sexualized or neurotic characters, while their male counterparts may be pigeonholed into playing villains or action heroes.
The famous actress, Scarlett Johansson, has opened up about feeling trapped in stereotypical roles that often require her to be provocative. She expressed how this has limited her creative expression and left her feeling stuck. Scarlett is known for playing many alluring characters throughout her career.
Johansson has had a long and successful career in the entertainment industry, spanning back to the early 90s. While she gained fame in the mid-2000s, she has consistently proven herself as one of the highest-grossing box office stars of all time. However, upon reflection of her work, it becomes apparent that many of her roles require some level of sex appeal. In Ghost in The Shell, Johansson portrayed a Japanese character who spent much of the movie scantily clad. Despite the controversy surrounding the film’s departure from its original anime and manga versions, Johansson’s sex appeal was a significant highlight. In Don Jon, she played Barbara, a “perfect 10” whom Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character seeks to have sex with. Similarly, in He’s Just Not That Into You, Johansson’s character falls for Brad Cooper’s character, who only pursues her for her youthful and attractive appearance as a yoga instructor.
The movie Lost in Translation started with a suggestive scene of the actress lying in bed wearing only her underwear. This was Scarlett Johansson’s first collaboration with director Woody Allen, where she portrayed a seductive character who lured two men simultaneously. In a 2005 interview with Total Film, Allen mentioned that Johansson had expressed feeling “stuck” in roles that required her to play sexy characters.
During an episode of the Table for Two podcast, Johansson shared with host Bruce Bozzi that she had been limited to playing sexy roles throughout her career. Having portrayed “the other woman” and the “object of desire” for years, Johansson found herself stuck in a box that dictated her entire career path, leaving her unable to break free from it. As she grew older, Johansson recognized that she had been pigeonholed, but felt powerless to change her situation. She explained that due to the trajectory she had been set on, she had become an ingénue and was being groomed to be a bombshell actor.
Johansson recently revealed that she had a difficult experience working with Bill Murray on the set of Lost in Translation. Although she didn’t provide any specific details, she explained that their characters had a deep relationship, which made her uncomfortable for various reasons. Upon completing filming, Johansson felt like it was a bizarre fever dream.
Similarly, Angelina Jolie has transitioned from her early films like Hackers and Tomb Raider to playing the role of a confident and seductive femme fatale in movies such as Wanted, Salt, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and Lara Croft.
On the other hand, Keira Knightley has found success portraying period piece heroines in films like Atonement, The Duchess, Anna Karenina, and famously Pride and Prejudice. While not playing the typical sexpot role, Knightley excels in bringing feisty corset-wearing characters to life.
