It is common for talented actors to idolize and be inspired by each other in the entertainment industry. But occasionally, a chance meeting takes place that leaves even the biggest celebrities star-struck. Scarlett Johansson’s encounter with the legendary Meryl Streep when she showered her with praise for her performance in the English-language sci-fi action movie, Lucy, was one of the most surprising moments of her illustrious career.

Johansson played the title role in the Luc Besson movie, a woman who developed Psychokinetic abilities after ingesting a psychedelic drug. She had always looked up to Streep as a model in the acting business, so to say she was thrilled would be an understatement. Thus, she had no idea that this chance meeting would have a significant impact on her career.
Scarlett Johansson
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Scarlett Johansson’s Most Unexpected Encounter of Her Career 

As Scarlett Johansson revealed to MTV UK, it was a few years ago when the actress was at the Oscars and saw Meryl Streep. The latter then expressed how much she loved the way Johansson played Lucy’s title character. The Mamma Mia! star praised the Black Widow actress for her ability to command the stage with her commanding presence in Luc Besson’s 2014 film.

Johnsson, as cited by MTV UK, recalled:
“A couple of years ago, I was at the Oscars, and I saw Meryl Streep. She came to me, and she was like, ‘Oh, it’s you’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah’. She goes, ‘I loved Lucy so much.’ I was like, ‘What, like, Meryl Streep loved Lucy’.

Scarlett Johansson
She felt more confident as a result of Streep’s compliments, and she was also reassured that she could “retire now”:
“It was just cool, okay, and then like that, it was basically the best fan interaction I’ve ever had. I was like, ‘Okay, I’m good. I can retire now’.”
With over $469 million in box office receipts, more than eleven times the $40 million budget, Lucy was a colossal hit. Although the reviews were polarizing, they were generally favorable. Nevertheless, it received praise for its themes, visuals, and Johansson’s performance.

The Role Of Lucy Was ‘Challenging’ For Scarlett Johansson

The role that Scarlett Johnsson played in Lucy was “challenging” for the actress as she shared in an interview with Grimmy of BBC’s Radio 1 Breakfast show: 
“It was an intense experience shooting it. We shot part of the film in Taipei [Taiwan], which was very exciting. Even making it everyday, sort of, you know, brought on its own unique challenges because the character was losing the sense of her own humanity as she’s gaining all of these superhuman abilities.”
In Lucy, a woman became a drug mule for her new boyfriend, which caused her brain to grow incredibly strong. The 38-year-old further alleged that because the character had “no guidelines”, filming the movie was “an intense experience”:
“So there was kind of no guidelines for that. I never knew what I was going to be stepping into each day. The whole shoot had a level of surrealism to it, I suppose.”
Scarlett Johansson in and as Lucy
When commenting on the work and concept of the director, she said:
“Based on his gatherings, you know, he had this certain, kind of, idea of what the levels of progress would be you know percentage wise.”
In personal life, Johansson has been married to comedian Colin Jost since 2020 after divorcing Ryan Reynolds and Romain Dauriac. She shares two kids—one with Jost and the other with Dauriac. On the work front, we last saw her as Katherine in North Star, a 2023 British drama film helmed by Kristin Scott.

You can stream Lucy on Max.