Scarlett Johansson Opens Up About a Career of Controversies

Scarlett Johansson is reflecting on her past missteps and bemoaning that so much of it came “out publicly.” She covers UK magazine The Gentlewoman, and inside, the 36-year-old jokes that she has “made a career out of” her controversies.

And while she's “going to have opinions about things, because that's just who I am,” the two-time Oscar nominee also said, “I mean, everyone has a hard time admitting when they're wrong about stuff, and for all of that to come out publicly, it can be embarrassing.”

Johansson famously came under fire after criticism for her choice to play an Asian and a transgender role, when she responded that she should be “allowed to play any person.” She also defended accused abuser Woody Allen.

She says: “To have the experience of, 'Wow, I was really off mark there,' or, 'I wasn't looking at the big picture,' or, 'I was inconsiderate.’ I'm also a person.”

Johansson adds: “Of course, whatever you say, whether it’s politically correct or not, any statement you make, or how you live your life, people are obviously going to take issue with it. We judge each other all the time. We judge ourselves constantly. I think people equate that connectivity to being self-aware. To me, it’s different from being self-aware.”

FUTURE

She also discusses how she’s dealing with COVID and the ensuing shut down. She says she was initially, “kind of flummoxed. I don’t know, I was having an out-of-body experience.”

Johansson adds: “And then that stuff sort of faded away, and I realized actually that I exist pretty well in this space. I realize I don’t have to be constantly in motion to survive, I think. I’ve always had this fear of, what if everything goes away, what will become of me? It’s this great fear of the unknown, and now I’ve been that way for some time, I realize, Oh, actually, you’re still alive. It probably comes from some fear of death, anyway.”