The one line Scarlett Johansson won’t cross for a movie: “I get a lot of pressure”
It’s easy to think of Scarlett Johansson as nothing but a box office chaser. Through her roles in the Sing franchise and her myriad appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—which she definitely departed at the right time—she is the highest-grossing female actor of all time. However, there’s more to her than gunfights and quips. Lost in Translation, Jojo Rabbit, Under the Skin, Asteroid City—Johansson’s more challenging roles are numerous. It’s a cliché, but she really can do it all.
That being said, ‘ScarJo’ is still in high demand by major movie franchises. She is set to join the Jurassic Park series with 2025’s Jurassic World Rebirth. Her character, Zora Bennett, is at the head of a brand new cast of characters, with the series having moved on from the days of Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. She is set to star alongside Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Ed Skrein, and Mahershala Ali.
In an interview with In Style to promote the film, Johansson revealed that there’s a demand being made of her, which she refuses to comply with. “Even today, I got an email from Universal [Pictures], and they’re like, ‘Hey, would you consider joining Instagram in tandem with the release of Jurassic World Rebirth?’” she revealed. “[I] get a lot of pressure to join social media…‘Is there a way I could do this and stay true to who I am?’ It didn’t feel like I could.”
It might seem like everybody is terminally online these days, but Johansson is one of many major movie stars who refuse to get on the ‘gram. The article also cites Brad Pitt, Emily Blunt, George Clooney, and Tina Fey as fellow examples. To the untrained eye, it seems like a strong social media presence is essential to success in the modern entertainment landscape, but such prominent industry titans are proving that isn’t the case. However, it should be noted that all these actors became famous before Instagram took over the world.
When discussing the closest she got to making a profile on the picture-sharing site, the megastar revealed that she had considered it during the launch of her beauty brand, The Outset. “I got close enough to talk to my therapist about it,” she confessed. “I was like, ‘I guess this is something I need to do. But it goes against my core values.’ I think it was more about, ‘How do I express that, too?’ Because there’s so much expectation.”
The last thing Johansson needs right now is more exposure to technology. In 2024, the actor spoke out against OpenAI, which had released a chatbot featuring a voice based on her character from the movie Her. This led to a bizarre incident where an AI video of her and various other celebrities was created condemning pro-Nazi comments made by Kanye West. Johansson, a Jewish woman herself, agreed with the sentiment of the video but heavily criticised the unauthorised use of her image.
As the Internet becomes a bigger and more inescapable part of our lives, questions surrounding social media and its impact on mental health will continue to be raised. As it stands, Johansson is taking a stance on the matter, but who knows how long she’ll be able to hold out.
