Scarlett Johansson on Marriage Story: 'I'm also going through a divorce...'

Marriage Story director Noah Baumbach recalled on Vanity Fair: “When we sat down to talk, the first thing she said was: ‘I’m going through a divorce’. Hearing that, I was very surprised. But that honesty says a lot about her as a person. That’s why we had to make this film together.”

Baumbach praised Johansson for being frank, honest and fearless in speaking out about her marital status, even though she is an A-list Hollywood star.

“Star of the decade”

At the age of 35, Scarlett Johansson has had about 25 years in the acting profession. At age 9, she played in North, at age 13, she played The Horse Whisperer and at age 18, she shone in Lost in Translation.

Until now, many viewers still believe that her loss of the Best Actress Oscar for her role in Lost in Translation was one of the Academy’s wrong decisions.

But a star’s talent cannot die because of that. The career of Scarlett Johansson, the adult version, is still brilliant. Taika Waiтιтi, director of Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit (the film starring Johansson), called her “The Star of the Decade”.

Scarlett Johansson with Marriage Story: I’m also going through a divorce… – PH๏τo 4.
Scarlett Johansson was called “Star of the decade” by director Taika Waiтιтi – PH๏τo: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

According to Hollywood Reporter, in the past 10 years, Scarlett Johansson starred in 21 movies with a total box office revenue of 13 billion USD. Sales are impressive, but the artistic quality is even more remarkable. She has good movies like Under the Skin, Her, Isle of Dogs, Lucy, Sing, Don Jon and the impressive role of Black Widow in 7 movies of the Marvel universe.

In May 2020, Johansson will have another career milestone when her own film about Black Widow hits theaters, taking on the responsibility of starting phase 4 of the Marvel cinematic universe.

But before that, in the film awards season at the beginning of the year, perhaps the name Scarlett Johansson will be the focus of many awards ceremonies because of her impressive performance in Marriage Story, a psychological drama directed by Noah Baumbach, a hit. Netflix’s big show this year.

Scarlett Johansson with Marriage Story: I’m also going through a divorce… – PH๏τo 5.
Not only beautiful, the actress also has an impressive film portfolio in her 25-year career – PH๏τo: VOGUE

As for the Golden Globe Award, the film took the lead with 6 nominations. Johansson is the leading candidate for the Outstanding Drama Actress category.

“Star of the decade” is of course the personal opinion of Waiтιтi, a filmmaker with personality and a preference for Johansson when they were partners.

But there will certainly be many people who agree with Waiтιтi’s comments, especially when Johansson has worked persistently to prove her talent for 25 years. Even now, in the other half of her career, she still hasn’t stopped wowing the audience.

The woman of two broken marriages

“I got married for the first time when I was 23 years old. At that time, I didn’t understand marriage very well, maybe I romanticized it too much,” Johansson recalled on her marriage with Ryan Reynolds (star of ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool) on Vanity Fair. The marriage lasted 3 short years. They married in 2010, separated in December 2010, and divorced in July 2011.

Johansson moved on with Romain Dauriac, owner of an advertising agency in France, in 2014. Before that, the same year, the actress gave birth to her first daughter, Rose. In mid-2016, they separated. In September 2017, they divorced.

Scarlett Johansson with Marriage Story: I’m also going through a divorce… – PH๏τo 6.
Scarlett Johansson and her second husband Romain Dauriac, who went through a real-life “Marriage Story” with her – PH๏τo: KEYSTONE PRESS

Johansson’s confession to director Noah Baumbach (“I’m going through a divorce”) was about her divorce from her second husband, Romain Dauriac.

Life milestones described through numbers sound cold and dry. But those who have gone through divorce understand. Why is the time between divorce and separation so long? During the second divorce, Johansson took more than a year for all procedures to be completed. What happened during that time?

That is probably what is depicted in Marriage Story, a film about the emotional journey of a couple during the divorce process. Besides her excellent co-star Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson also gave a very real performance when she put many emotions and personal experiences into her role.

Marriage Story movie trailer

“I understand the sweetness and lies of divorce. All the character’s emotional struggles,” she told Vanity Fair. To play Marriage Story, she relived her parents’ marriage to convey the most profound things on screen.

However, cinema is not simply bringing real life to the screen. Because Johansson has actually never experienced a divorce like in the movie. “That is the director’s experience, not mine” – she said – “But fortunately, the experience of being a mother has helped me a lot in understanding the character.”