Scarlett Johansson has said she was left “hopeless” after losing the lead role in an Oscar-winning film.

The actor, who was a child star in the 1990s, is known for films including Lost in Translation, The Prestige, and Under the Skin, and is one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, thanks to her role as Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

However, things have not always been plain sailing for the actor, who has revealed that she lost out on the chance to star in Gravity. She said that this particular turn of events left her questioning her place in the film industry.

“I got turned down for two roles – the first was Iron Man 2 and then the other one was Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity,” she told Variety, adding: “I had wanted that role so much.”

She described losing the latter role as “sort of the straw that broke the camel’s back”, stating: “I felt really frustrated and hopeless. Like, ‘Am I doing the right job?’

“The work I was being offered felt deeply unfulfilling. I think I was offered every Marilyn Monroe script ever. I was like, ‘Is this the end of the road creatively?’”

Sandra Bullock was ultimately cast in 2013 film Gravity alongside George Clooney. Johansson found herself cast in Iron Man 2 after Emily Blunt dropped out due to a contractual obligation with Fox.

Speaking of her role as Romanoff, who was introduced in the Iron Man sequel, Johansson said: “That movie wasn’t going to move the needle forward in terms of how my character was written, but there was potential for what it could be – a potential for growth in subsequent films.”

Last week, the film successfully overturned its R-rating, having been originally given a restricted age certificate for “brief graphic nudity, smoking and suggestive material”.

Elsewhere in the new interview, Johansson recalled an emotional visit to Jeremy Renner after her Marvel co-star’s near-death experience.