Scarlett Johansson says her early rom-com roles were 'deeply unfulfilling' because they were often driven by the male gaze

Business Insider

15 hours ago

Scarlett Johansson, 40, says her early rom-com roles didn't challenge her as an actor.
In an interview with The Times published on Saturday, Johansson reflected on her career and how Hollywood has changed over the years.
After her breakout role in Sofia Coppola's"Lost in Translation" in 2003, Johansson said she found herself being offered roles that banked on her sex appeal, which she found "deeply unfulfilling."
"You know, it's a different time for young women," Johansson told The Times. "The messaging is different — there are many more role models, women are visible in powerful positions, and the opportunities I have had to play women who don't have to just be one thing or another have increased."
The industry was different back then, she said.
"But when I was younger, a lot of the roles I was offered, or I went for, had their ambitions or character arcs revolving around their own desirability, or the male gaze, or a male-centered story. That is less frequent, though — something has shifted," Johansson said.
Over the years, Johansson has pushed her range with unconventional roles, including playing a female alien in Jonathan Glazer's "Under the Skin" and voicing an AI in Spike Jonze's "Her."
Being offered the roles she wanted involved a lot of waiting, she said.
"I had to become comfortable with the idea that it could take some time. Which is hard when you're a young actor, but at that time I didn't have any children," Johansson said.
Even so, it wasn't easy to hold out for the roles she truly wanted.
"So my responsibility then was just to be productive," Johansson said, "trying to maintain the momentum of my career and wait for things that felt right. And that is hard because there is an existential angst that comes with waiting, but I had to allow space for the creative process to do its thing."
"It was nerve-racking. I'm in a business where you feel like, at any moment, you'll become irrelevant. But I think it pays off — I know it does," she added.
Johansson's experience reflects a reality that many face. The pressure to constantly be productive can come at the expense of creativity and fulfillment.
A 2021 YouGov survey of over 9,000 working Americans found that only 55% said their job made "a meaningful contribution to the world." Those who believe their work lacks meaning also often feel unsatisfied: 56% of people who said they found no meaning in their job also said they felt unfulfilled by it.
Creativity at work can foster innovation and problem-solving and allow employees to feel more engaged and invested in their work.
Some key Google products, like Gmail and Google News, originated from its "20% time" policy, which allows employees to dedicate part of their workweek to passion projects.
Kirsty Hulse, a motivational speaker and workplace coach, previously told Business Insider that staring out the window can spark creative thinking by quieting mental noise.
"We are coming up with cool stuff all the time, but when your brain is going fast and you're doing tasks and you're ticking things off your to-do list, you will never be able to hear your innovative ideas," she told BI.
Michael Thompson, a leadership and communication strategist, previously told BI that leaving 30% of his workday unscheduled has improved his creativity and focus.