Actress Scarlett Johansson is known around the world for her performance as MCU’s Black Widow. She is one of the founding members of the Avengers along with Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, and Mark Ruffalo. The actress has also starred in other projects that have been acclaimed such as Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit.

Johansson has seen success in both commercial outings as well as more artistic endeavors. However, there is still something that she is yet to do that she describes as her ‘first love’. While she was very close to donning the director’s hat for her debut film, it still seems to be stuck in development.

Scarlett Johansson’s Sprawling Career

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow

Many know Scarlett Johansson for her role in the MCU as Natasha Romanoff. Making her debut in a supporting role in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man 2, she subsequently appeared in The Avengers, Captain America: Civil War, and more. She finally received her solo film in 2021 with Black Widow.

Johansson started her career as a child actor at the age of nine, appearing in small roles in films like North, Just Cause, and If Lucy Fell. She also appeared in the horror film Eight Legged Freaks. Johansson had her big break as an adult in the Sofia Coppola film Lost In Translation. The film also starred Bill Murray and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture and won the award for Best Original Screenplay.

Scarlett Johansson

She continued working with acclaimed directors such as Brian De Palma, Christopher Nolan, Michael Bay, and Frank Miller. She had a three-film collaboration with director Woody Allen and was reportedly referred to as his muse for appearing in so many films of his. She also made her MCU debut shortly after.

Johansson also made her Broadway debut with A View From the Bridge, based on the play by Arthur Miller. She shared the stage with actor Liev Schreiber. Talking about the experience of being on stage for Success magazine, Johansson said,
“Emotionally draining. But the audience feeds life into you. It’s such a high to perform in front of a live audience and have their reaction in real-time.”

Scarlett Johansson’s Unrealized Dream

Scarlett Johansson

With the release of Avengers: Endgame, Scarlett Johansson officially became a part of one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Johansson is also one of the highest-grossing actresses, with her films collectively earning over $5.2 billion, according to Statista. She has worked with prominent directors and has been an executive producer, making sure that she promotes big changes in the industry.

However, Scarlett Johansson still has one dream that remains unrealized. Talking about his big dream with Success magazine, Johannson mentioned how her time on the sets of Robert Redford’s The Horse Whisperer made her fall in love with directing and that she wanted to adapt Truman Capote’s novella Summer Crossing. She said,
“When I was 12, I remember being on the set of The Horse Whisperer and watching Bob Redford work with the actors and then the cinematographer and the costume department. To watch his vision for that film take place right in front of me—I knew I wanted that job…I think your first love is in many ways your truest love, this unbelievably profound feeling, wanting to give everything to this person and not having the means to express how you feel. It’s an impossible love. When I read it, I thought, Oh, this is a movie, and I want to make it.”
It was announced in 2013 that Johansson would be directing an adaptation of the Capote novella and that production would begin in 2014. Scarlett Johansson reportedly expressed enthusiasm about working with the Capote estate to bring the project to life. However, the film remains unadapted and there have been no updates regarding it.

Source: Success, The Hollywood Reporter, Statista