THE TRUTH BEHIND — Scarlett Johansson Reveals She Was Typecast in ‘Male Gaze’ Roles Early in Her Career

Scarlett Johansson has seen roles for women in Hollywood improve since she started her career — but she remembers a time when things weren’t so rosy.

“You know, it’s a different time for young women,” Johansson, 40, told The Times of London in a recent interview. “The messaging is different — there are many more role models, women are visible in powerful positions and the opportunities I have had to play women who don’t have to just be one thing or another have increased.”

The Marvel star went on to say that many of the scripts she read early in her career were not so well-rounded.

“When I was younger, a lot of the roles I was offered, or I went for, had their ambitions or character arcs revolving around their own desirability, or the male gaze, or a male-centred story,” she explained. “That is less frequent, though — something has shifted.”

 

Eventually, she began to find movies that weren’t so focused on her sex appeal, but the process didn’t happen instantly.

“I just waited,” she said. “I had to become comfortable with the idea that it could take some time. Which is hard when you’re a young actor, but at that time I didn’t have any children.”

Johansson has since welcomed daughter Rose, 10, with ex-husband Romain Dauriac and son Cosmo, 3, with husband Colin Jost. She recently said she would let Rose see her in Jurassic World Rebirth — even though she’s heard it’s the scariest entry in the Jurassic Park franchise.

“It’s still appropriate for the family,” she told E! News at the film’s premiere in June. “You just gotta watch it through the crack in your fingers.”

Johansson’s Times of London interview isn’t the first time she’s opened up about feeling stereotyped for her looks. In 2022, she said she felt like she was “kind of being groomed” to be a “bombshell-type actor” after appearing in Lost in Translation and Girl With a Pearl Earring before she was 20.

“I was coming into my own womanhood and learning my own desirability and sexuality,” she explained during an interview on the “Table for Two With Bruce Bozzi” podcast. “I was playing the other woman and the object of desire and I suddenly found myself cornered in this place. I couldn’t get out of it.”

That same year, Johansson — who has earned two Oscar nominations — said she once felt like her career was over because she felt so “hypersexualized” by her early roles.

“I kind of became objectified and pigeonholed in this way where I felt like I wasn’t getting offers for work for things that I wanted to do,” she said on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast in October 2022. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘I think people think I’m 40 years old.’ It somehow stopped being something that was desirable and something that I was fighting against.”

Related Posts

Is Annabelle Missing 2025? Where the Haunted Doll Is Now

Rumors circulated that the haunted doll had vanished in May 2025. Adding fuel to the fire was the mysterious and sudden death of Annabelle doll lead paranormal…

Jeremiah or Conrad? Who Belly Ends Up With in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 3

One is her first love, while the other captured her heart. So, who does Belly choose in the end of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’? Get all…

‘The Legend of Zelda’ Live-Action Movie: Release Date, Cast & More

The ‘Legend of Zelda’ movie has its main cast! Get updates about the live-action flick here.

How Much Older Are Conrad & Jeremiah Than Belly in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’?

Conrad and Jeremiah are slightly older than Belly in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty.’ Find out their age differences and more about the characters here.

‘Stranger Things’ Season 5: Release Date, Cast & More Details

‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 is nearly here. Get all the latest updates on the show’s last season, including the premiere date, cast news, and more, here. 

Elsie Hewitt: 5 Things About Pete Davidson’s Girlfriend Whom He’s Expecting a Baby With

Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt are expecting their first child together! Learn more about the successful model and actress here.