Scarlett Johansson has reflected on her history of controversy in the film industry, admitting that she hasn’t always responded in the right way.
Over the years, the US actor has faced backlash for her roles in a number of projects, including accusations of whitewashing for her casting in manga adaptation Ghost in the Shell and playing a trans character in Rub and Tug.
Speaking to The Gentlewoman, the actor said of her repeated controversies: “I’ve made a career out of it. I’m going to have opinions about things, because that’s just who I am.”
However, Johansson acknowledged that she hadn’t always responded in the right way to criticism, saying: “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.
“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… I can be reactive. I can be impatient. That doesn’t mix that great with self-awareness.”
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While Johansson said she had been learning to recognise “when it’s not your turn to speak”, she doesn’t think actors need to have public roles in society to do their jobs.
“Whatever my political views are, all that stuff, I feel most successful when people can sit in a theatre or at home and disappear into a story or a performance and see pieces of themselves... They have an emotional reaction to it – good, bad, uncomfortable, validating, whatever. That’s my job. The other stuff is not my job.”
Johansson will next star as the titular hero in Marvel’s Black Widow, which has been delayed multiple times due to the pandemic.
