Profile: Scarlett Johansson Part 1

After many delays, Black Widow finally reached theaters and streaming on July 9th! Those of us who have followed Scarlett Johansson’s career were thrilled by the long awaited telling of the Black Widow’s origin. Adding yet another hit to her long line of films as she bids farewell to the Marvel Universe: Johansson is supported by Florence Pugh in a breakout action role that may place her in the lead role of Black Widow in future Marvel projects. Moving forward, Johansson has done the voice of Ash in Sing 2 which is completed and due in December. She is rumored to be cast as Audrey in a remake of Little Shop of Horrors along with Avengers co-star, Chris Evans, and is cast in and is also a producer on Bride (a free standing update of The Bride of Frankenstein from Universal). Both films are in pre-production.

Looking back, Johansson has had a varied and memorable journey to becoming one of the most visible of Hollywood stars. Beginning her career on the stage at age eight in an off-Broadway production of Sophistry starring Ethan Hawke, she then had small parts in only two films (North 1994 & Just Cause 1995) before receiving her first leading role at the age of eleven in 1996’s Manny & Lo for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. She went on to play three more supporting roles before appearing with Robert Redford in her breakout film, The Horse Whisperer in 1998.

Having that success under her belt, she starred in the forgettable My Brother the Pig (1999) with Judge Reinhold before landing a featured role in the Coen Brother’s, The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001). Certainly, just being cast in Redford’s and the Coen’s films was a sign of things to come.

Her next film has the distinction of appearing on 140 critic’s ‘top 10 lists’; 2001’s Ghost World, based on the independent comic created by Daniel Clowes, is that rare character driven drama that knows where it’s going and why. Terry Zwigoff’s & Daniel Clowes’ adaptation gives life to characters already realized on the pages of Clowes’ comic. With Zwigoff’s tight direction and a cast that fits, the film moves right to the heart. Johansson & Birch shine as two girls at loose ends who like to entertain themselves by causing chaos in other people’s lives. When they target a lonely man with one of their cruel stunts, it backfires in all directions, changing their lives as well as his. The film also showcases Steve Buscemi giving his best performance since Trees Lounge (1996).

The next two films are problematic: An American Rhapsody (2001) is a sentimental telling of a true story that just doesn’t play, Eight Legged Freaks (2002) a film based on 50’s B Sci-Fi suffers from lack of direction. Neither of these films slowed her down as she moved on to the unforgettable Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003). Johansson is the main reason it is so memorable: she soars as Griet opposite Colin Firth’s Vermeer.

Scarlett Johansson & Colin Firth in Girl with the Pearl Earring (2003)

The film rides on Johansson’s performance as Griet. It is impossible to take your eyes off of this young peasant girl as she moves through the foreign environment of the artist’s household. Her beauty is accentuated by her honest reactions to all that transpires around her. Although an uneducated girl, Griet shows herself to be wiser than her sophisticated hosts. At 17 she is more observant and adroit than the lady of the house. This tends to bring the woman’s hatred of her out in the open. Without reservation, this remains one of Johansson’s best performances.

Facts, Rumors & Hearsay

GHOST WORLD

Ghost World was the first film to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay based on a Graphic Novel or Comic Book.

Ghost World’s main character’s name, Enid Coleslaw, is an anagram of the film and comic book’s author, Daniel Clowes.

Scarlett Johansson submitted an audition tape to the producers of Ghost World and landed the role of Rebecca.

GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING

Out of all the animals used in the various scenes, Scarlett Johansson fell in love with one of the cats and named it ‘Merkin’. The cast & crew went to great lengths to allow her to adopt the cat and have it to be transported from Luxembourg to New York city.

Colin Firth’s nickname on the set was Fabio, due to the wig he wore made him look like the model Fabio.

The painting that Griet (Scarlett Johansson) inspired Vermeer to paint while she is washing the window is called Woman with a Water Jug.

NEXT: A Love Song for Bobby Long

F&TVR Profile: Stan Lee 2

HEADER: Tobey Maguire & Kirsten Dunst in Spider-Man (2002)

Executive Producers, Avi Arad and Stan Lee on the set of Spider-Man (2002) Columbia Pictures

Spider-Man (2002)

Columbia Pictures

Directed by Sam Raimi

Screenplay by David Koepp based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko

2hrs 1min / Rated PG-13

CAST: Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man/Peter Parker), Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin/Norman Osborn), Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson), James Franco (Harry Osborn), Cliff Robertson (Ben Parker), Rosemary Harris (May Parker), J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson).

Still one of the most fully realized of all of the superhero films, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man is flawless, from the casting, to the dynamic between Peter Parker and his Aunt and Uncle, to the fumbling of the teen-age love triangle. All the leads are a spot on and Raimi doesn’t miss a trick as he brings Lee and Ditko’s amazing creation to life. David Koepp’s script is well developed and retains the spirit of the origin of Spider-Man while deepening the pathos and humor. It is as though we are looking into Stan Lee’s mind as he re-imagines the story in the 21st century. So much of what he wrote in the 1960’s blossoms on the screen with all of the power of his imagination as envisioned through Sam Raimi’s eyes.

Kirsten Dunst & Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man (2002)

Toby Maguire makes the perfect Peter Parker with his self effacing demeanor and stubborn resolve. James Franco is the ideal counterpoint with his over confident swagger and questionable morals. They are opposites except in their attraction to the same girl and together, they weave Mary Jane into a web that binds them in their inarticulateness. Kirsten Dunst underplays Mary Jane; her pauses are well timed as she tries to figure out what it is about Spider-Man that so strongly attracts her while Peter remains an enigma.

James Franco & Willem Defoe in Spider-Man (2002)

Willem Defoe’s performance is powerful in both roles of Norman Osborne/Green Goblin as he slowly looses his mind under all the pressure of his business disintegrating.

Cliff Roberson, Rosemary Harris, & J.K. Simmons in Spider-Man (2002)

Cliff Robertson & Rosemary Harris fully embody Peter’s Aunt & Uncle with seemingly effortless performances that are stand outs as supporting roles. J.K. Simmons was born to play J. Jonah Jameson and runs with it. Of course Bruce Campbell shows up to give us some comic relief as Peter tries to win money to buy a car so he can impress M.J. Everything goes wrong from that point on.

Tobey Maguire & Bruce Campbell in Spider-Man (2002)

There are a number of wonderful scenes in this movie and the kiss in the rain is among the great screen kisses. Spider-Man is and has long been one of Stan Lee’s most popular creations. This film brought his web slinger to an even wider audience by bringing it to life as it was imagined by so many of the readers of the early comic books. Spider-Man’s continuing popularity stems from the way that Stan Lee imagined the character right from the start. It was an interesting concept because it was unique among costumed heroes of the time.

Quite simply, Lee found a way to make the conventional super-hero sidekick the lead. It was a character that young readers could truly identify with, and that is what the readers responded to. In their wonderful book, The Comic Book Heroes (Prima, 1997) Gerard Jones and Will Jacobs call the chapter on Spider-Man, “The Hero Who Could Be You”. In the chapter they use the debut of Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy # 15 (August, 1962) from which the first film draws heavily and describes the character as:

“Here was a solo hero, not a kid sidekick or a team member, who was really a teenager, and a teenager who wasn’t happy-go-lucky or goofily cute but truly complex and tormented.”

And:

“His first thoughts were of money and glory. Here was a believably ambivalent hero, who grew into his superheroic role by way of his personal life.”

Gerard Jones & Will Jacobs, The Comic Book Heroes (Prima, 1997)

Peter Parker was redefining the role of the hero behind the mask and became more believable than most of the existing characters and by extension so was Spider-Man. Young readers (and some not so young) were soon clamoring for more. Stan’s universe was in its infancy and there was so much more to come, but Spider-Man was destined to lead the way.

Like much of comic book history, the actual process in creating the character depends on who you ask, but according to Jones & Jacobs it was a collaboration between Lee and his two top artists, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. Lee felt that Kirby’s interpretation of the character made Spider-Man too noble which is not what Lee had in mind. Ditko’s more unusual style better suited the fledging hero and the stories that Lee had to tell. It was this decision by Lee and the follow-up, which were the first stories, that began the odyssey of the friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man.

Stan Lee’s cameo in Spider-Man (2002)

Facts, Rumors & Hearsay

Spider-Man was the first Marvel movie to showcase the riffling pages Marvel logo.

Tobey Maguire had a problem in the now-famous upside-down kissing scene: his sinuses kept filling up with water from the downpour.

Peter’s costume designs were drawn by Phil Jimenez, who was artist on DC’s Wonder Woman at the time.

The Daily Bugle newspaper building in the film is actually the Flatiron building, a famous Manhattan landmark that was built in 1902.

NEXT: Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3.