Scarlett Johansson is among the most prominent actors in the entertainment industry. She started acting at a very small age, and over the years, she has earned her place in Hollywood. The Marvel star has a humungous fan following, owing to her exceptional acting and action sequence. The megastar is widely appreciated for her iconic roles in box-office hit films. However, there was one film in her career where the audience booed it.
Johansson starred in the science fiction film Under The Skin in 2013. However, the audience reaction to the film was quite disappointing.
Scarlett Johansson recalled the worst screening of her life
Black Widow star Scarlett Johannson worked in the film Under The Skin, directed by Jonathan Glazer. In the film, she starred as an extraterrestrial being who took a female form to lure men into her van. Then, she banished them to another dimension, where they were devoured.
The film was widely acclaimed for its unique storytelling and unsettling visuals. It was termed as the best sci-fi movie of that year and nominated for two Academy Awards. However, the initial response to the film was very disappointing. The film was screened at the Venice Film Festival, where the audience booed it.
In conversation with The Guardian, Venice Film Festival’s Alberto Barbera recalled,
“It was one of the worst screenings I’ve attended; it was the only time the audience booed a film. Scarlett was almost in tears. I tried to say to her: ‘Don’t worry, in time the film will be recognized.’”
The film was a box office failure and grossed a total of $7 million against a budget of $13.3 million.
Scarlett Johansson was involved in the creative process of the film
One of the reasons for being affected by the booing of the audience at the screening of Under The Skin was that Johannson was creatively attached to the film. The actress shared in an interview with The Guardian that she was part of the project for many years and interacted with the director about her character.
The Marriage Story star recalled,
“I heard Jonathan was making a film, and originally it was a very different story. But I met him, and it was very clear that he was struggling to figure out what he was doing with it, and what had attracted him to it. It wasn’t his passion project, but there was something in the idea of having a character that was an alien that could give him the freedom to be completely observant without any judgment. I think we were both interested in that.”
She shared her view on playing the character,
“I thought it would be incredibly challenging to play a character that’s free of judgment, that has no relationship to any emotion I could relate to. And for me, at this point, I think it much more interesting for me to look at something and know that I can play it, but not know how, rather than to look at something and go, ‘Ah, I can do that.’ And then just do it.”
Under The Skin is available for streaming on Max and Kanopy.
Source- The Guardian 1 and 2
