Cole Smithey talks to Scarlett Johansson about working with Woody Allen on "Scoop."
By Cole Smithey
With a husky voice, that she maintains through carefully smoked cigarettes, her unconventional smile and a charm that zaps fans and detractors alike Scarlett Johansson is a cinematic force of nature. At the young age of 21 Scarlett has appeared in over 20 films and is fast on her way to becoming a Hollywood legend. It isn’t just any actress that inspires Woody Allen so much that he writes a movie specifically for her.
Set in London, "Scoop" finds Scarlett as Sondra Pransky a nerdy and naive student journalist lured into the story of a lifetime if she can prove that son-of-privilege Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman) is the Tarot Card serial killer that a voice from the dead (Ian McShane) tells her Lyman is. Woody Allen’s character Sid Waterman is an ex-pat veteran magician living in London who teams up with Sondra pretending to be her goofy father in order to help her solve the case. "Scoop" may not rise to the narrative ingenuity of "Match Point" but it does capture Scarlett Johansson paraphrasing Woody Allen’s signature amusing rhythms in a lilting little comedy that makes England look like heaven on earth.
I sat down with Scarlett at Manhattan’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel on a balmy Sunday morning to find out more about the New York-based actress.
Q: Your acclaim as an actress has changed in recent years. How are you dealing with the heightened degree of fame?
SJ: I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some great people throughout
my childhood and my whole career. And I just feel really happy that I’m still able to do that, that I was somehow able to do that, even when I was going through the most awkward stages of my career. I shot the "Horse Whisperer" when I was 12, "Ghost World" I was 15 and "Lost in Translation" when I was 17.
Q: This isn’t the first time your costar was also the film’s director. In "The Horse Whisperer" Robert Redford directed and acted. How was this experience different?
SJ: I couldn’t compare Woody and Bob Redford. They’re like complete opposites. I think that Bob was very paternal in a way. I was also 12 years old, so the way that he spoke to me and the way I needed to be spoken to was different. And, of course, I was going through puberty which is a horribly horrible experience, very painful — so you need to be spoken to in a different way, whereas with Woody— I would say we had a more friendly kind of relationship.
Q: Do you see "Lost In Translation" as the turning point of your career?
SJ: Well, I made "Lost in Translation" right after I made "The Perfect Score." I had no idea that film was going to be what it turned out to be. The success of it was a turning point in my career for sure but I didn’t know it was going to be so popular. I thought a few thousand people would see it and I’d have a great experience. I never cared about
those things, about box office or press or press coverage or stuff like that. I’m just happy I get to work, period.
Q: What’s the difference between playing a straight guy for Bill Murray as opposed to playing one for Woody Allen?
SJ: The relationships are so different, mine and Bill’s and Woody’s and mine in this film, that it’s hard to compare the two. Of course, in "Lost in Translation," I’m not hysterical at all, and if I ever have a funny moment it’s just ironic and painful. I think, working with Woody, I’m playing a real character that’s funny in her own quirky, weird way. I find, also, that Bill’s humor is much more involving of the person that he’s with, whereas Woody is just one-liners and is just kind of making himself laugh, which I love and just kind of stand back and admire. So it was a different kind of experience all around. Also, he’s [Woody Allen] not playing a love interest, so it was a big difference there.
Q: How flattering is it for Woody Allen to write a movie specifically for you?
SJ: It’s great. I’ve always admired him as a director and comedian and writer and actor, and when we were shooting Match Point I thought it would be so nice if we could work together as actors because we have such nice banter between us. He’s like, ‘Yeah kid, I’ll think of something.’ "Scoop" is our banter kind of brought on screen.
Q: It was interesting how you used eyeglasses as a prop that you take off and put on. Do you like using glasses as a character prop?
SJ: I do. I wanted to wear glasses. I don’t know. I just thought it would be funny to have regular glasses, not ones actors wear to be cool, but actual prescription ones that are the dorky kind. And it was fun. It was definitely a huge part of the character. She’s just dorky and has a retainer and her dad’s an orthodontist. She says things that are so dorky.
Q: What fashion styles you prefer personally?
SJ: I don’t know. I don’t know how to define style other than just the way I dress, but yeah, I do have — I mean I love different designers. I love Chloe [Phoebe Philo] and [Cristobal] Balenciaga.
Q: A lot of people have equated your specific type of beauty with the Golden Era of Hollywood. How do you think that period compares with today?
SJ: Well it depends on what period you’re talking about. In a lot of ways, I think we’ve progressed to a conservative way of thinking that reminds you of the McCarthy era. It seems like anybody who’s anti-war is unpatriotic or un-American, it’s bizarre. I think we live in a very conservative time.
But as far as doing things like that for pictorials, I admire that kind of glamour. I think that it’s sexy and beautiful and it’s a celebration of femininity.
Q: You seem to be politically minded. What are your politics?
SJ: I’m very liberal minded. My mom is from New York, and her parents are from New York and she’s very liberal minded as well. Not that you inherit your political beliefs from your parents, but certainly what she was interested in has been something that I’ve admired. I won’t say I’m for or against a party, I think I’m independently minded.
Q: Do you think actors have a responsibility to talk about their political beliefs?
SJ: I don’t think actors have any responsibility to talk about anything at all. Their responsibility is to show up on set, but I do think that as a person in the public eye if you passionately believe in something and you say, ‘Hey I found this place to give some money. If you’re interested, here’s a website if you want to check it out.’ Whether it’s "USA Harvest" or "The Global Fund," it can really bring a lot of publicity to some smaller organizations.
Q: In "Scoop," Woody Allen’s character is always doing something outrageous. How was that dynamic?
SJ: I loved that whole aspect of our relationship. I loved that whole father-daughter thing and Woody was just mortifying. One of my favorite lines in the script is, ‘Stop telling everybody I sprung from your loins.’ He comes up with this great dialogue. It was so odd for us to be playing father and daughter. As you can see it’s like, ‘Yes, daughter. Yes, child,’ or whatever. And that’s probably how we would be in a situation like that. And of course one of us has to be the straight man, which of course is me. It’s going to be me because Woody is such a goof-off.
Q: Did you ever treat your parents like you treat Woody in "Scoop"?
SJ: My parents have never been that embarrassing, not like that. Parents,
especially when you’re mortified by everything, they’re so not cool. But my parents, I was really lucky. My mom’s from New York and super-hip and everything. My dad is Danish, so he’s all relaxed and Scandinavian. So I was fortunate enough not to have embarrassing parents.
Q: What’s the set-up for your upcoming movie "The Prestige"?
SJ: "The Prestige" is set at the turn of the century and it’s a story of two dueling magicians who have a personal vendetta against the other one. It’s set in London and it’s very serious. My relationship with Hugh [Jackman] in that is also romantic, but it’s very different because he’s playing somebody who is obsessive and focused. There’s nothing humorous about the story. I’m somebody in a relationship, a real relationship.
Q: Woody describes you as sexually overwhelming. How to you feel about that?
SJ: Um, I guess I take it as a compliment. But you know, hopefully not too overwhelming. I don’t know. I think that he’s probably being quite facetious when he says it. I find him to be overwhelming sometimes. Maybe not sexually overwhelming, but certainly overwhelming (laughs). Especially before he eats his muffins in the morning, but I think it’s very sweet of him to say.
