How Hollywood boxed her in, and how she broke free
At 17, Scarlett Johansson became Hollywood’s muse overnight, then its prisoner.
In a raw Vanity Fair interview, the Black Widow star reveals how Lost in Translation’s 2003 success trapped her in a cycle of “girlfriend” and “sex object” roles for years.
“It felt like my identity was reduced to desirability,” she admits, calling it “a kind of exploitation,” a label she hesitates to use but can’t deny.
The film’s legacy was double-edged. While it launched her career, co-star Bill Murray’s turbulent behaviour left the set “on tenterhooks” as he grappled with personal demons.
Yet their reunion at SNL50 this year revealed a changed man: “Life humbled him,” Johansson reflects, acknowledging his 2022 Being Mortal misconduct scandal (“That was really bad”) while championing growth.
Now 40, Johansson wields hard-won clout. She’s pivoting to directing (Eleanor the Great), battling AI misuse, and reframing her past: “I wore what I wanted, expressed myself—then realised I’d been packaged for consumption.”
Her advice? “Eyes on the prize,” a mantra that propelled her from typecasting to triumph
