I was hypersexualised as a teenager in Hollywood: Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson has opened up about feeling she was ‘hyper-sexualised’ as a teenager in Hollywood.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the Avengers star spoke about how an image of her was created “by a bunch of dudes” that fuelled the narrative of her as an on-screen siren. She talked about the difficulties she faced when casting directors only saw her in one light.

“When I was working in my early 20s and even my late teens, I felt that I got somehow typecast as ‘hyper-sexualized,’ which I guess at the time seemed okay to everyone — it was another time — even though it wasn’t part of my own narrative,” Johansson said. “It was kind of crafted for me by probably a bunch of dudes in the industry.”

Johansson is currently the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, according to Forbes — but she says the limited roles she was once offered made her consider quitting from an onscreen career altogether.

She added: “The climate is so different now, there are so many wonderful opportunities for women of every age to play all different types of people.”

“I’m very grateful to have come into the industry at the time that I have because I am benefiting from the efforts of a lot of other women who have come before me, other black women who have had it a lot rougher than I have,” she said. 

“This is a time where there is a concerted effort to consider diversity and inclusion. What I really want is it to not be a fad, not be a trend. Right now, it’s really dope and cool and on-trend to work with women and underrepresented groups, but the moment of maturity in the industry is when it’s just the norm.”

This year, Johansson showed that roles for women are more wide-ranging than ever. Not only did she lead the pack in the superhero blockbuster Avengers: Endgame over the summer, but the star has achieved immense popularity and success for Jojo Rabbit and Marriage Story, in which she portrays two differently complex mothers.

Jojo Rabbit is now in theatres. Marriage Story is on Netflix on December 6.

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