Originally appeared on E! Online
Scarlett Johansson‘s star power has never been lost in translation.
So when it was time to cast a believable badass to outrun, out-swim and outsmart a coterie of eerily evolved dinosaurs in Jurassic World Rebirth, it had to be her.
Yet the actress—who’s proved over the course of her 30-year career that she can deftly handle any screen challenge, from superhero stunts to playing an A.I. operating system—insists she’s the lucky one.
“I’ve been trying to get into a Jurassic movie for, I don’t know, 15 years or something,” Johansson told The Hollywood Reporter in May during the Cannes Film Festival, where her feature directorial debut Eleanor the Great was screening. “I was so stoked that it all came together.”
Seemingly she could have had her pick of parts in the decade-old Jurassic World franchise, but being in demand does have its downside: There’s only so much time every year for a movie star mom of two—Johansson shares son Cosmo, 3, with husband Colin Jost and daughter Rose, 10, with ex-husband Romain Dauriac—to commit to a big-budget action movie.
But, happily, life finds a way.
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“When I first heard that there was a new Jurassic movie coming, that it was written with a female lead who was the age that I could fit into, and that it was happening during a time period that I could shoot,” Johansson explained, “it was particularly surreal.”
Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment
The New York native’s swift rise to superstardom also had the tinge of the surreal about it.
Johansson showed her gravitas as a child actress in touching fare like Manny & Lo and The Horse Whisperer before breaking out in Sofia Coppola‘s revered 2004 indie dramedy Lost in Translation, joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Black Widow and scoring dual Oscar nominations in 2021 for Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit.
And now the 40-year-old is finally part of the world she first experienced as a kid, watching velociraptors learn how to open doors from her seat in a theater showing Jurassic Park.
Whether or not Johansson laid it on a little thick for director Steven Spielberg, who remains an executive producer on the Jurassic World franchise, is beside the point. As she noted to THR, “I could’ve played it cooler and maybe I wouldn’t have gotten it.”
See where Johansson’s apparent dream role in Jurassic World Rebirth, in theaters July 2, fits in among the most memorable roles of her career:
Ghost World
The 2001 black comedy follows two teenagers who try to help a lonely, middle-aged man find love. The film has since become a cult classic.
Lost in Translation
Bill Murray plays an aging actor who befriends and eventually falls in love with Scarlett Johansson’s character Charlotte when they both stay at the same Tokyo hotel.
Match Point
Johansson worked with Woody Allenfor the 2005 psychological thriller about a wealthy man who enters into a dangerous affair. The role was originally given to Kate Winslet, but after she dropped out a week before filming began the part was rewritten for an American actress and given to Johansson.
Scoop
Director Allen tailored the role of Sondra Pransky to Johansson, who the director believed had an underutilized “funny” quality to her while working on their previous film Match Point.
The Black Dahlia
Based on the true story of the murder of Elizabeth Short, this neo-noir crime film features the New York City native as the girlfriend of the lead detective in the murder case.
The Prestige
Christopher Nolan directed this mystery thriller about rival stage magicians in 19th century London. The director says that he wanted to cast Johansson in the role of Hugh Jackman‘s character’s lover immediately, and thankfully, she loved the part.
The Nanny Diaries
Before they were both members of the Avengers, Johansson and Chris Evans played two New Yorkers entering into a relationship. In this romantic comedy, the actress plays a nanny working for a elite Manhattan family.
The Other Boleyn Girl
This historical drama centers around aristocrats Anne and Mary Boelyn, both of whom had highly publicized relationships with King Henry VII.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
The blonde actress is in a love triangle in this 2008 film directed by Allen. She starred alongside Penelope Cruz, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her part.
The Spirit
This unique neo-noir superhero film had actually been in development since the 1970s, finally being made in 2008. Johansson played a femme fatale scientist.
He’s Just Not That Into You
The actress played a yoga teacher with aspirations of becoming a singer in this romantic comedy with an ensemble cast, featuring the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck and Drew Barrymore.
Iron Man 2
Johansson began playing her Marvel character in the second installment of the Iron Man series. She plays powerful superhero Black Widow, a member of the Avengers.
We Bought a Zoo
The 33-year-old actress plays a zookeeper in this 2011 family drama which follows a recently widowed father (Matt Damon) as he tries to move on from his wife’s death while running a zoo.
The Avengers
In perhaps her biggest role yet, Johansson suited up as the Black Widow in this 2012 film. She says the physical training for the part was harder than any of her other films. The superhero film went on to gross over $1.5 billion dollars, the third-highest grossing movie of all time.
Lucy
The veteran actress plays the titular character in this 2014 science fiction thriller film about a woman who is able to access 100% of her brain, gaining special abilities. The movie was a box-office hit, grossing 11 times more than it’s $40 million budget.
Sing
The BAFTA winner voiced Ash, a rocker porcupine in the animated flick. The film was so successful that a sequel is set to be released in Dec. 2020.
Ghost in the Shell
The 2017 film was based on the popular Japanese manga of the same name. The casting of Johansson as a Japanese character caused wide-spread controversy and accusations of white-washing.
Avengers: Infinity War
Johansson reprises her role as Black Widow in the 2018 Marvel film as the Avengers and their allies face off against the powerful Thanos whose goal is to end the entire universe.
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