Scarlett Johansson is undoubtedly among the elite when discussing today’s top actors.
Best known for her role as Black Widow in the Marvel superhero universe, Johansson has also made a significant impact in independent films, collaborating with directors like Sofia Coppola, Jonathan Glazer, Luc Besson, and Wes Anderson.
Johansson’s journey to stardom began in the late 1990s with minor roles in low-budget films. Her career took off in 2001 with her performance in Terry Zwigoff’s quirky coming-of-age comedy Ghost World.
At just 16 years old, this role paved the way for her breakthrough performance alongside Bill Murray in Lost in Translation.
Throughout the early 2000s, Johansson’s star rose with significant roles in films such as Woody Allen’s Match Point, Michael Bay’s The Island, and Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige.
Her Hollywood status was further solidified with her debut as Black Widow in Iron Man 2 in 2010, launching her into the global spotlight.
In 2012, Johansson took on a challenging role in Hitchcock, a biopic about the legendary British director Alfred Hitchcock and the making of his 1960 horror classic, Psycho.
Directed by Sacha Gervasi, the film focused on the relationship between Hitchcock and his wife, with Anthony Hopkins portraying Hitchcock and Johansson playing Janet Leigh, the actress behind Psycho‘s infamous shower scene.
In an interview with V Magazine, Johansson recounted the intense experience of filming this iconic scene. “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,” she said.
Despite Hopkins’ generally kind demeanor, Johansson found the experience genuinely terrifying.
“Maybe I watched Silence of the Lambs too many times as a kid. Maybe I was having some flashbacks. So I didn’t need too much preparation for the scene.”
The shower scene from Psycho is one of the most influential moments in horror cinema, standing alongside iconic scenes like the ‘Chestburster’ from Ridley Scott’s Alien and the transformation scene in John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London.
Reflecting on the day of shooting, Johansson mentioned the tension on set. “We only had the luxury to shoot the scene for a day, and everybody felt very nervous because it involved water, and nobody wanted the actor to get wet. They were concerned with modesty and all these things – but I don’t care about any of that stuff, and Janet Leigh never did either.”
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