Avengers – Scarlett Johansson: “I can't believe this athletic redhead is me”

In April 2012, the actress who plays Black Widow spoke to Première. Flashback.

Leather-molded superheroine in Avengers, Scarlett Johansson will be back soon in the new Jurassic Worldwhose first photos have just been revealed. While waiting for a real trailer for Gareth Edwards' blockbuster, the actress will be back at 9:15 p.m. on TMC, surrounded by Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America and Hawkeye.

In spring 2012, Scarlett was featured on the cover of the magazine First on the occasion of the release of Joss Whedon's film in theaters. She notably expressed her admiration for Mélanie Laurent, the French actress and director who almost directed the film solo dedicated to Black Widow…

We are republishing an excerpt from this collector's interview to keep you going until the rebroadcast of this big Marvel hit.

XCLU – Mélanie Laurent tells us about the behind the scenes of Black Widow, which she almost directed

First: Whether you play the Black Widow or a regular girl with her feet on the ground, does the approach to the work remain the same?
Scarlett Johansson: Yes. The process varies, of course, especially if it involves physical preparation, but whether or not you're beating up half a dozen guys with your bare hands, the quest for truth is the same.

Do you ever think that you're not cut out for the big Hollywood machines?
If there is one thing I try to avoid, it is being pigeonholed into any category, whether it be that of the ingénue, the girl next door or the glamorous star. I don't want to fit any of these images, but on the contrary, I want to be associated with each of them. I love blockbusters when they are very well done, like Avatar. I don't want to be a trendy actress who exclusively does movies shot in seventeen days on which no one makes a cent. It's great to do that – and very hard – but I don't see why we should close ourselves off from the rest. Especially in an era where these barriers no longer exist, when we see actors like James Franco or Liam Neeson starring in huge action movies. Look at the cast ofAvengers : Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson… Only actors trained in the most demanding independent cinema.

Are you in demand by foreign directors? Would you be tempted by an international career?
Are you kidding? I would love to work abroad, but I have never been offered it. By the way, I recently saw an incredible French film: The Adoptedby Mélanie Laurent. I want to work with her!

Have you met her?
Yes, we know each other. I was completely blown away by his film, one of the best I saw last year. Which goes to show that actors often make fantastic directors.

It's simple: in France, these days, all actors move on to directing…
And they're right! Actors are good at it, it's a natural evolution.

And you ?
I've dreamed of directing since I was 12 years old. Today, I would trade all my screen time for the opportunity to direct a film.

Is this a goal you are pursuing?
Actively. I am currently adapting a novel by Truman Capote, Summer Crossingwith the idea of ​​staging it.

In the days of “old Hollywood” there were stars and movies to showcase them. The stars are still there, but the movies are becoming rarer. For example, Natalie Portman waited a long time before filming Black Swan…Are you looking for that role, the one that will make the difference?
Yes. It's a challenge, especially for actresses, to find films that will allow them to reveal their full potential. And, except in the case of Angelina Jolie, the studios don't really believe in the power of women at the box office, which doesn't help matters. I want Philip Seymour Hoffman's career, or Brad Pitt's! Leo DiCaprio's not doing too badly either… Other than Meryl Streep, I don't see any working actress capable of competing with such a track record. It's very difficult for a woman to find the right film.

What can you tell us about Avengers to whet our appetites even more?
Even more? How is that possible? (Laughter.) Joss Whedon, who is considered a neophyte in the field of blockbusters and whose legitimacy to direct a project like this has been questioned by some, has done a titanic job. When you put together in the same film a Russian spy, a Norse god from another planet, a guy wearing steel armor, a soldier frozen since the 1940s and a green monster, there is a risk that we will all look at each other at some point and say: “What the hell are we doing here?” Joss was perfectly aware of this and made sure that this universe, as extraordinary as it is, remains credible. What's great about him is that he's a snobbish intellectual who doesn't let anything go. Everything must be “awesome”. You will never see Avengers leaning towards the ridiculous or the good feelings. The film is action-packed and even takes a violent turn to become a merciless fight. I sometimes have trouble believing that this athletic redhead doing kung fu in the middle of all this is me.

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