From beginning her career as a child star to becoming one of Hollywood’s most desirable actors, Scarlett Johansson has done it all. The celebrity has an impressive repertoire of films under her belt that also includes her blockbuster Marvel gig as Black Widow. Through a range of characters, Johansson has proved that she is a shining example of beauty with brains.
In 2012, the Match Point actor starred with Hollywood veteran Sir Anthony Hopkins in Hitchcock, a film about director Alfred Hitchcock’s journey while creating his famous film Psycho. While Johansson was extremely excited to share screen space with the Oscar winner, she confessed that the iconic shower sequence that they had to enact, left her feeling extremely nervous.
This Hitchcock Scene Was A Nightmare For Scarlett Johansson
There are some films that are remembered for posterity thanks to certain memorable scenes that have stood the test of time. The chilling shower sequence in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is one that immediately comes to mind. The creepy Bates Motel served as a fitting backdrop for Janet Leigh’s character to be brutally stabbed by a maniac while taking a shower. The play of shadows that made the knife look even more formidable, became stuff of nightmares for audiences across the globe.
In 2012, Scarlett Johansson and Sir Anthony Hopkins got the opportunity to recreate this scene in Hitchcock, a film about the director’s journey that led to him making Psycho. Hopkins played the legendary director while Johansson portrayed Janet Leigh, the heroine of the film.
While the Vicky Christina Barcelona actor was thrilled to share the stage with the veteran, she confessed to V Magazine (via Daily Actor) that she was a scared mess when the famous shower scene approached in which Hopkins as Hitchcock enacts the sequence to his lead actor. Johansson’s fear was further augmented while thinking of the Oscar winner’s penchant for playing maniacal antagonists in the past.
“You have got to be brave, get into the shower, and face Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock jabbing you in the face with a 12-inch kitchen knife. As much as Anthony Hopkins is a pussycat, he’s terrifying. Maybe I watched Silence of the Lambs too many times when I was a kid. Maybe I was having some flashbacks. So I didn’t need too much preparation for the scene,”
In addition, Johansson revealed that the cast and crew were pressured to get the shot done quickly as they had only a day to shoot the sequence which also required the actor to get considerably wet. While this aspect did not bother the Marvel star, the psychotic nature of the scene gave her nightmares.
Scarlett Johansson Played A 50s Star In Asteroid City
Scarlett Johansson’s classic vibe and looks are tailor-made for playing characters from the golden era of Hollywood. Apart from portraying Janet Leigh in Hitchcock, the Black Widow star took on the role of another yesteryear star reported to have been based on Bette Davis, in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City. The film set in 1955, follows transformative events that occur at an annual Junior Stargazers Convention.
Despite a short 2 months of work and a modest payday, Scarlett Johansson connected with the script of Asteroid City on a personal level. The star expressed a deep appreciation for the writers and confessed that she talked for hours with Wes Anderson after he sent her the script of the film. In an interview with Variety, she said,
“I was curious: Who is this person? How did she get here, to be so successful at that time? She’s this star of stage and screen — what drove her there?”
Johansson applied these questions and analysis to her character Midge Campbell who is a 50s star. This is a role that Anderson reportedly conceived for the Avengers actor. Johansson added that while Anderson was a very structured director who did not deviate from the final script, she was able to navigate around her character and improvise while working within the filmmaker’s template.
Asteroid City premiered in Cannes in May 2023 and released in theaters across the United States on June 16th, 2023.
Asteroid City is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
