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
