Scarlett Johansson reflects on feeling ‘hyperse*ualized’ and ‘pigeonholed’ early on in her acting career: ‘I kind of became objectified’

Scarlett Johansson described feeling ‘hypersexualized’ and ‘pigeonholed’ in the early stages of her acting career in Hollywood.

The Black Widow star, 37, appeared on Dax Shepard’s podcast, Armchair Expert, on Monday, and shared how people in the industry saw her as older than what she was, leading to her not getting the roles she wanted.

‘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. I remember thinking to myself, “I think people think I’m 40 years old,”‘ she revealed.

Reflecting on her career: Scarlett Johansson described feeling ‘hypersexualized’ and ‘pigeonholed’ in the early stages of her acting career in Hollywood; Pictured 2020

‘Because I think everybody thought I was older and that I’d been [acting] for a long time, I got kind of pigeonholed into this weird hypersexualized thing,’ the beauty remarked.

‘The runway is not long on that. So it was scary at that time. In a weird way, I was like, “Is this it?”‘ she added.

However, the New York native noted that things in the industry appear to be changing for the better.

Objectified: ‘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,’ the actress, 37, shared; Pictured 2006

‘Now, I see younger actors that are in their 20s. It feels like they’re allowed to be all these different things,’ she expressed.

‘It’s another time, too. We’re not even allowed to really pigeonhole other actors anymore, thankfully, right? People are much more dynamic,’ Johansson added.

The blonde bombshell started out her career as a child actor, but came to prominence when she was 17-years-old, while playing Charlotte in the 2003 Sofia Coppola film, Lost in Translation, alongside Bill Murray (then 52, now 72) for which she won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress.

Hypersexualized: ‘Because I think everybody thought I was older and that I’d been [acting] for a long time, I got kind of pigeonholed into this weird hypersexualized thing,’ the beauty remarked; Pictured 2004

Johansson was five years younger than her character – a young wife who’s left alone at the Tokyo Park Hyatt by her photographer husband, played by Giovanni Ribisi.

In the romantic comedy she goes on to befriend a middle-aged movie star (Murray) who’s there shooting a Whiskey commercial, as they consolidate in their loneliness together and even share a kiss at one point.

The young beauty then went on to play a seductress in the 2005 psychological thriller Match Point, when she was just 19-years-old, starring alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who was 27 at the time.

Young star: Johansson came to prominence when she was 17, starring alongside Bill Murray (then 52, now 72) in a romantic drama titled Lost in Translation. She was five years younger than her character’s age; Pictured with Murray in a still

The film’s controversial director, Woody Allen, 86, later caught flack after he referred to her as ‘sexually radioactive’ in his memoir Apropos of Nothing.

She has since starred in a number of other notable films, and will next be seen in a new drama movie called, My Mother’s Wedding, which will be the directorial debut of the Oscar-nominated actress Kristin Scott Thomas.

Thomas is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as The English Patient, starring alongside Ralph Fiennes and Four Weddings And A Funeral with Hugh Grant.

Very young: The beauty then went on to play a seductress in the 2005 thriller Match Point, when she was just 19, starring alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who was 27 at the time; Pictured in a still from Match Point

Yikes! The film’s controversial director, Woody Allen, 86, later caught flack after he referred to her as ‘sexually radioactive’ in his memoir Apropos of Nothing; Pictured in 2005

The film is based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Jane Howard centres on the famous London playwright Emmanuel and his sickly wife Lillian – who has never truly buried the memory of the couple’s late daughter Sarah.

The pair’s rocky marriage then takes a surprise turn when they travel to a remote Greek island.

It is assumed that Scarlett will be playing Lillian but details for her role are yet to be confirmed.

Next up! The blonde bombshell is next set to star in a new feature length drama titled, My Mother’s Wedding directed by Kristin Scott Thomas; Johansson pictured in 2021