Scarlett Johansson’s initial acting journey saw her portraying sultry characters, often typecast as the ‘attractive girl.’ In an interview, she confessed feeling trapped in these provocative roles.
In the world of Hollywood, a celebrity’s bankability is often gauged by their ability to fit a certain character type. This practice, known as typecasting, can be frustrating for actors who have shown they are capable of much more. It’s common for male actors to get stuck playing villains or action heroes, while female actors tend to get typecast into overly sexualized or neurotic roles.
Scarlett Johansson recently opened up about feeling limited by being typecast in provocative roles, expressing her sense of being “stuck” in these portrayals. Throughout her career, Johansson has been known for her sexy roles.
Johansson has had a long and successful career in the entertainment industry, dating back to the early 1990s. However, it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that she gained widespread fame. As one of the highest-grossing box office stars of all time, her success speaks for itself. Looking at her body of work, it’s clear that many of her roles require some level of sex appeal.
For example, in Ghost in the Shell, Johansson played a Japanese character who spent a significant portion of the film in revealing clothing. While the movie deviated considerably from its original anime and manga source material, Johansson’s sex appeal was a standout feature.
In Don Jon, Johansson played Barbara, a “perfect 10” who is the object of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character’s desire. And in He’s Just Not That Into You, her character falls for Brad Cooper’s character, who is only interested in her because she’s a hot young yoga instructor.
Despite the focus on her sex appeal in many of her roles, Johansson’s impressive talent and range as an actress cannot be denied. She has proven herself to be a versatile performer capable of taking on a variety of challenging roles.
The movie Lost in Translation starts with a scene of the main actor lying in bed in her underwear, which is shot in a sensual way. In this movie, Scarlett Johansson plays a seductive character who charms two men simultaneously, which was her first collaboration with Woody Allen as a director. During an interview with Total Film in 2005, Allen revealed that Johansson had expressed feeling restricted by being typecast in sexy roles.
During a recent appearance on the Table for Two podcast, Johansson spoke candidly with host Bruce Bozzi about her career as an actor. She revealed that for many years, she felt pigeonholed into playing sexy roles, such as “the other woman” or the “object of desire.” According to Johansson, this typecasting put her in a box that she struggled to break free from. Despite realizing that she was being groomed for this image, there wasn’t much she could do to change it. As she got older, Johansson found herself stuck in this ingénue role, as she was being pushed toward becoming a bombshell actor.
Johansson had an uncomfortable experience while working with Bill Murray on the set of Lost in Translation. She didn’t go into specifics, but she found it difficult to portray a profound relationship between their characters due to personal reasons. Johansson mentioned that after filming was over, she felt as if she had experienced a strange dream. Similarly, Angelina Jolie has achieved great success since her debut in Hackers and Tomb Raider. However, she is often cast as a seductive, confident character who enjoys blowing things up or shooting at people. Keira Knightley, on the other hand, may not always play a seductive character, but she excels in portraying strong-willed heroines in period pieces such as Atonement, The Duchess, Anna Karenina, and Pride and Prejudice.
