This weekend, Scarlett Johansson returns to the screen for Ghost in the Shell. The release comes after months of controversy surrounding Rupert Sanders casting Johansson in the lead of his live-action adaption of Japanese artist Masamune Shirow’s manga series by the same name. Johansson addressed the backlash in a recent interview. “Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive,” she said. “Also, having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity. Certainly, I feel the enormous pressure of that—the weight of such a big property on my shoulders.” And as for Sanders, he is standing by his decision. “I was flattered and honored that she would be in this film,” he said. “I think, certainly people who were around the original anime have been vehemently in support of her because she’s incredible and there are very few like her.” That’s for sure. Here, five things you may not have known about Scarlett Johansson.
1. Johansson is considering running for office some day.
Lest you forget, the actress showed her support for Barack Obama throughout both of his presidential campaigns, and was also behind Hillary Clinton during the 2017 race. More recently, she took to marching and speaking at events like the Women’s March in January. “I’ve always been interested in local politics,” Johansson said in an interview on Thursday. “Right now, I think with my young daughter, and also as my career is going right now, it’s not the right time.” Johansson continued: “But eventually, maybe if my daughter was older and I could totally focus myself on something like that, I think it could be interesting.” In the meantime, Johansson has no qualms about lampooning the First Daughter, as she did earlier this month for her stint hosting Saturday Night Live in an impersonation that rivaled Alec Baldwin’s as the Donald.
2. Johansson took a breast pump to the Oscars.
Set to present an award at the 2015 Academy Awards (in Atelier Versace, no less) a mere five months after giving birth to her daughter, Rose, Johansson did what any new mother in Hollywood would do: She smuggled a breast pump in her purse. “I had to bring my breast pump, because I was nursing and every ounce is like liquid gold,” she said. Stars—they’re just like us.
3. Johansson inspired Katy Perry’s hit song “I Kissed a Girl.”
Perry told Steppin’ Out in 2008 that she was flipping through a magazine when she came across a photo of Johansson and the idea hit her. “I was with my boyfriend at the time,” Perry admitted, “and I said to him, ‘I’m not going to lie: If Scarlett Johansson walked into the room and wanted to make out with me, I would make out with her. I hope you’re okay with that?’ ” Naturally, Johansson took the news as a compliment (wouldn’t you?), but she remained faithful to her then-husband, Ryan Reynolds. “That’s flattering, but my lips are kind of taken,” she said the following November.
4. Johansson’s famous sex appeal may have actually lost her a role.
Speaking to Vogue for the November 2011 cover story with Rooney Mara, director David Fincher explained that Johansson had a knockout audition for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. The only problem? Well, she was also a knockout. “We flew in people from New Zealand and Swaziland and all over the place,” he said. “Look, we saw some amazing people. Scarlett Johansson was great. It was a great audition, I’m telling you. But the thing with Scarlett is, you can’t wait for her to take her clothes off.” Johansson has since denied this, but we’ll let you be the judge.
5. Just don’t call her ScarJo.
Johansson is not a fan of the moniker that is commonly used by the media to reference her—and has a multitude of reasons for why not. “I associate [ScarJo] with, like, pop stars,” Johansson said in a 2014 interview with Glamour. “It sounds tacky. It’s lazy and flippant . . . And there’s something kind of violent about it. There’s something insulting about it.” Ms. Johansson it is!
