Scarlett Johansson has worked with Disney for years, starring as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in their MCU movies. However, when it came to the 2019 film Jojo Rabbit, Johansson didn’t believe that the studio would allow for the subversive film to be released under its banner. Johansson, who played Rosie Betzler in the Taika Waititi film, was surprised that Disney execs were excited about the film.
Waititi made the film under Fox Searchlight who came under Disney after its 2019 acquisition of Fox. The Black Widow actress had concerns about the film coming under Disney since Jojo Rabbit did not conform to the ‘family-friendly’ brand of the studio.
Scarlett Johansson Was Skeptical Of Disney Greenlighting Jojo Rabbit
Scarlett Johansson played the role of Rosie Betzler in Jojo Rabbit, a single mother in Nazi Germany who hides a Jewish girl in her attic. Johansson shared with The Hollywood Reporter in a 2019 interview that she played a “warm, comfy character” in the film.
Both Johansson and Taika Waititi had a great relationship with the studio at that time. The Marriage Story actress was a constant presence in Marvel films and Waititi had given them the most successful Thor film, Thor: Ragnarok, at that point. Despite the working relationship, Johansson was almost sure that Disney would never bring out Jojo Rabbit.
After the acquisition, she had a dinner meeting with Disney board members along with her Avengers co-stars. She shared with THR that the execs told her at the dinner that they were excited about her new film. Johansson wondered how that was possible since the more off-color or subversive nature of her film didn’t fit in with the Disney family. Johansson shared with THR:
The Disney execs were saying, ‘We’re excited about Jojo.’ They had just acquired it. I said, ‘How is that going to be?’ Because Searchlight’s made quite a lot of subversive films. It’s harder and harder to try to find a home for something that’s more off-color or subversive and push the limit. I thought, ‘There’s no way Disney would bring [Jojo Rabbit] out. … This doesn’t belong to that [Disney] family.’
Jojo Rabbit was produced under Fox Searchlight, which had previously produced Oscar-winning films like The Shape of Water, Birdman, 12 Years a Slave, and Slumdog Millionaire. The banner usually chose to produce independent and arthouse films that pushed the limits.
Disney Surprised Scarlett Johansson With Their Approach Towards Acquired Properties
Many viewers also shared Scarlett Johansson’s concerns that Disney would try to inject its signature brand into the acquired properties. However, Johansson got a surprising response from the execs regarding this matter. They shared that when Disney acquired a company, they allowed the company to keep its DNA and style.
She shared that their words proved to be true because when the film went over to Disney, nothing changed. Johansson shared (via THR):
‘Whether it’s Pixar or Marvel, the most important thing is when Disney acquires a company that’s working, they let the studio continue to have their own style. The creative freedom of that studio stays, the DNA of the studio stays intact.’ Ultimately when Jojo Rabbit went over [to Disney], it didn’t make any difference, which was cool. Because I was worried that maybe it would.
Not only did the studio change a thing about Jojo Rabbit, but Bob Iger actively promoted the film. He even held a private screening of the film as part of its Oscar campaign. The film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Waititi.
Jojo Rabbit is now available for streaming on FX Now and Fubo.
