In between several nominations - at the Golden Globes, the Academy Awards and more - for her performances in two different films, it is safe to say that 2020 is one of Scarlett Johansson’s most important years. Her comedic, over-the-top performance in Jojo Rabbit is almost as praised as her emotional, realistic and dramatic performance in Marriage Story.
The Hollywood star started acting at the early age of 11, and although she was still incredibly talented as a child actor, it is captivating to watch how her skills have expanded over the years, now making her one of Hollywood’s top actresses. She is incredibly versatile in her roles, having done superhero films, dramas, comedies, romantic and even sci-fi movies. Here we take a look at her 10 best performances.
In Good Company
In Good Company is a lovely film about a father who finds himself reporting to someone new at work, and has problems accepting how much younger this new boss is. In fact, his boss is now closer to his daughter’s age. Scarlett plays the protagonist’s daughter, with whom the young boss falls for - from there family and relationship drama ensues.
Scarlett’s character is sweet and independent, unaffected by her father’s disapproval when she gets into a relationship with the young boss. The actress adds charm and a slight tenaciousness to the character, making her impossible not to love.
The Horse Whisperer
The Horse Whisperer is one of Scarlett’s earliest roles. She was only 14 years old when she shot the movie, and yet she delivered a performance almost as powerful as that of critically acclaimed Robert Redford.
In the film, Scarlett is a young horse rider who suffers a traumatizing accident that almost keeps her from ever getting back on a horse. Redford is the horse whisperer who helps her overcome her fears and get back into horse-riding. Scarlett captures the dilemma of a scarred teenager who is both scared of indulging in her passion but also misses it.
The Other Boleyn Girl
In The Other Boleyn Girl, Natalie Scarlett plays Mary Boleyn, the older sister of Anne Boleyn, played by Natalie Portman. The movie is a historical drama inspired by real events from Henry VIII’s rule of England.
Scarlett is magical alongside Natalie. The two of them perfectly embody the vastly different sisters whose thrilling rivalry carries the movie. While Natalie’s character is more mysterious and devious, Scarlett’s character attracts more men, and sadly, too often gets reduced to her beauty.
Lucy
Luc Besson’s Lucy is an action, sci-fi movie that follows a young woman, Scarlett, who gets forced into illegal drug trafficking. Waking up with the drug inside of her, she is terrified and runs away. The drug is a special one, however, that slowly alters Lucy’s behavior and increases her brain capacity.
Scarlett begins the movie playing an average emotional woman and ends the movie as an unstoppable robot-like being. Despite the scientific inaccuracies of the movie, Scarlett makes the heroine so real and relatable that the story appears realistic.
Hail, Ceasar!
The experience of watching Hail, Ceasar! is hard to describe - in the best way possible. Not only is Scarlett Johansson directed by the Coen brothers in this film, but she acts among an equally talented cast consisting of George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, and Josh Brolin.
With an over-the-top performance, colorful make-up and a domineering voice, Scarlett is perfect in the role of the arrogant movie star. She plays an actress and synchronized swimmer who becomes pregnant in the middle of shooting her latest movie and is nothing short of hilarious.
Don Jon
Speaking with a hilarious Jersey Girl accent, Scarlett is a typical bombshell in Don Jon. She plays a beautiful blonde who is looking for a romance like in the movies and thinks she can found one in Joseph-Gordon Levitt’s character.
Although her character is highly cliché and not exactly relatable, she is incredibly funny and entertaining to watch thanks to Scarlett’s compelling performance. The actress usually plays independent, smart women, but is also clearly capable of playing irritable, depthless characters, as Don Jon proves.
Lost In Translation
Sofia Coppola’s Lost In Translation is a beautiful, heartbreaking story about two strangers who while away from their respective homes and develop an unusual romance for a limited amount of time. Scarlett plays a young girl who is accompanying her boyfriend on tour and spends her days bored in the hotel. She meets Bill Murray’s character, and he becomes the only person in the city she can relate to.
Scarlett takes us inside the mind of a romantic introverted. In the end, real-life catches up to the protagonists - they both have to separate eventually; go back home and return to their respective relationships.
Jojo Rabbit
Scarlett is not just amazing in all genres, but even within the same genre, she is capable of various types of performances. We’ve seen her do romantic comedies and dramatic comedies, and this year we saw her thrive in a dark, satirical comedy taking place in Nazi-Germany. In Taika Waititi’s critically acclaimed Jojo Rabbit, Scarlett plays a German woman who is hiding a Jewish girl in her attic, while her young son is part of one of Hitler’s Youth Groups.
Things take an unexpected turn when Scarlett’s on-screen son finds out about her betraying her country. Scarlett embodies, with humor, a woman who goes against the beliefs of her own country and deals with a child old enough to ask questions but too young to understand all the complexities of WWII.
Under The Skin
Under The Skin is an unpredictable, experimental film where Scarlett Johansson plays an extraterrestrial who enchants oblivious men and lures them into her world where they are turned into mere food for aliens. Despite how this premise may sound, the film has a slow, serious tone with long silences that rely entirely on Johansson’s performance to communicate emotions.
As a devious alien, Scarlett’s character is constantly playing the role of an attractive human woman while trying to hide her true nature. It’s a complex and subtle role that Johansson plays to perfection.
Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson was already widely recognized as a talented actress when Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story was released on Netflix, and yet she still took audiences by surprise with her captivating performance. Playing a married woman who decides to use a lawyer to divorce her husband despite them having discussed against it, Scarlett conveys the frustration of a woman who has been living in her husband’s shadow and is finally turning her life around.
Her performance is nonetheless complemented by Adam Driver’s own, and the chemistry that they share despite playing a couple getting a divorce only adds to the layers of complexities of the movie’s take on marriage. The actors show us how although their characters don’t want to be married anymore, they still care for each other and are a family.
