Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson portrayed Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. She will reprise the role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Significant roles

 * Laura Nelson in North (1994)
 * Katie Armstrong in Just Cause (1995)
 * Emily in It Lucy Fell (1996)
 * Molly Pruitt in Home Alone 3 (1997)
 * Grace MacLean in The Horse Whisperer (1998)
 * Kathy Caldwell in My Brother the Pig (1998)
 * Birdy Abundas in The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
 * Rebecca in Ghost World (2001)
 * 15 year old Suzanne in An American Rhapsody (2001)
 * Ashley Parker in Eight Legged Freaks (2002)
 * Charlotte in Lost in Translation (2003)
 * Griet in Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)
 * Mindy in The Spongebob Squarepants Movie
 * Meg Windermere in A Good Woman (2004)
 * Jordan Two Delta/Sarah Jordan in The Island (2005)
 * Olivia Wenscombe in The Prestige (2006)
 * Annie Braddock in The Nanny Diaries (2007)
 * Mary Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
 * Silken Floss in The Spirit (2008)
 * Anna Marks in He's Just Not That Into You (2009)
 * Kelly Foster in We Bought a Zoo (2011)
 * Barbara Sugarman in "Don Jon" (2013)

Quotes

 * "I hope it will happen. I don't know if that's where it's going go but she's definitely a big part of the Avengers."
 * "I think that Marvel is very much invested in these characters just as much as the fans are, just as much as I am."
 * "You want the fans to like the character, you want them to believe in the character, root for them, and want to see them again. So I'm hoping that if the fans support the character, that we'll see her again."
 * "I just flew in from New Mexico, where I’ve been shooting The Avengers. A bunch of the cast is here tonight but I’m here to support the troops. Chris Evans and I are presenting. We’re right in the middle of scenes and figuring a lot of stuff out. I’ve been training a lot and doing all sorts of exercises"
 * "The other day we were doing this big reveal shot of all the Avengers. Thor has got his hammer, Cap’s got his shield, Hawkeye has his bow and arrow, and Hulk is huge. Then it pans over to me and I’ve got guns. Iron Man’s like, hovering above all of us, ready to go... I was like, ‘Joss… um… do I look okay holding these guns?’ and he responded 'She’s a total badass. She’s a killing machine."
 * "I love playing the Widow. I think she's got a very interesting past, a lot of storylines to explore, and certainly Kevin (Feige) loves that character."
 * "I think that Marvel has a very personal relationship with their fans, and I think if the fans want it, and the audience wants it, nothing's impossible. I would love to explore that option [a spin-off] as well. Like I said, I love the character and it would be nice to see something nice and gritty."
 * "Joss said to me, 'I want to do everything I can to keep this from being,' in his words, a sausagefest.'" I said, 'That's disgusting, but okay.' "
 * "I knew that I didn't want to play a love interest. That's not who Widow is. I think Joss understood the importance of having a female perspective. He's a very sensitive guy. He works really well with women. He obviously can write for them! He loves strong and independent women and he's got a certain understanding of, and an appreciation for, women who take charge of the situation, of themselves - so it was clear to me that the character would not be underwritten."
 * "I don't think Widow things about proving herself. She's incredibly confident. She has no interest in being on anybody's good side. She's not looking to be top of the class. I don't think there's any ego involved there. She leaves that ego stuff for the big man in the iron suit, I guess. I think she's just incredibly practical."
 * "Black Widow is all business. She’s sort of in a grey area. In a sense she’s been fighting the good fight, despite her dark background. But she’s committed because she has to be and her moral ground is more dutiful. She’s militaristic in that way; that’s how she knows right from wrong."
 * "To be honest, I really didn’t know what the future would hold for the Black Widow after Iron Man 2. I didn’t know how the fans would respond, but to be a part of the Marvel Universe and playing such a dynamic, ass-kicking character is pretty exciting. The first time you saw this character in Iron Man 2, you didn’t get to learn much about her because she’s a bit of a slippery fish. She still has many different faces she puts on and, to this day, she still is divisive in that way. In this film, audiences will get to see more of her history and kind of shady past, which to me is very exciting because the darker part of the character was always very appealing to me."
 * "Stunts and fights are a huge part of my work on this film and being able to have a fighting style that audiences remember from Iron Man 2 is awesome. Jonathan Eusebio created and choreographed the style and look of the movements and Heidi Moneymaker, my stunt double, helped me learn them. What they both did for me is so important because it is just as much a creation of the character as whatever dramatic work I put into the job."
 * "We definitely embraced the Wushu a lot and there’s definitely more weaponry. It was a bit complicated because I could pick up all the hand- to-hand movements pretty well, but then he would say, ‘Oh yeah, here’s this giant staff you have to be holding while your doing the movements.’ So I am like, ‘Wait a minute, I had all those movements down and now I’m fighting with a 20 lb. giant stick?’ I have to be honest, the first time I saw what they had in mind I was like, ‘I’m never going to be able to learn this.’ So it’s just a lot of failures until you get it right, but boy do those failures hurt sometimes!"
 * "There were characters that were supposed to be in it that people said were in it like Moon and I think there was a Ms. Marvel rumor, I can't remember. But they were all kind of character rumors more than plot rumors."
 * "Yes, we’re both part of the Marvel universe. We compared, contrasted our notes, our experiences ... how wonderful Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are. It was nice to be able to share our stories of on-set experiences. We have a mutual love for them, so strongly."
 * "I’m completely excited to venture down that path. This is why January 1, 2013, was a glorious day to wake up to [laughs]. I’m very grateful and very lucky for what’s going on right now. I think you have to allow yourself to be excited about the magnitude of something like [Cap 2]."
 * "No, actually. Of course in "Avengers" particularly you start to see the relationships forming between these characters, and all of us have very specific relationships with one another. Of course we all know how we feel about one another. We work and all use each other in different ways. We all have very specific opinions about one another. I think that Joss laid the groundwork for a lot of interesting connections. That's why the audiences are so intrigued by that film because they love to see how these characters react to each other that come from completely different universes."
 * "We’ll be shooting that in January. I think we’re taking it to the streets this time, I think we’re going overseas."
 * "This film is in real time. It's been two years since the characters appeared, and now both are agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fighting in the streets. We are not superheroes flying side by side. They help each other because we are fighting in a similar way. It’s a working relationship."
 * "By a series of unfortunate encounters, they will be in a situation in which their friendship becomes more intimate. They share many similarities because they live on the defensive without relying on anyone. Also, the two have been working for the government throughout their professional careers. With their friendship they begin to question what they want and what is their true identity."
 * "It is a big commitment. When you wear it you are well aware that with latex you leave no doubt. My physical preparation with the costume was painful. Until you get used to it, everything hurts and is horrible. Once you learn the choreography you really feel like a superhero, but until you get to that point it’s exhausting."
 * "I love it. I think it is a sensational character. It is a professional, highly skilled, dangerous, mysterious superhero. I love playing it. I think that it is rare to find a woman sexy and intelligent on the big screen, able to fight anyone (including men) and overcome them physically and emotionally, and my character does it."
 * "The majority of the superhero movies have not been very good. They were simply not made well. They were about spinning through the air and putting your hands on your hips. With the Black Widow we do something more, although of course the physicality and her image is important. To me, this character has given me a great opportunity. Joss has jumped the fence with Avengers to celebrate a female character that is not a simple ornament inside the group. He’s not interested in just selling her physical attractiveness."
 * "The idea of it is ridiculous! When they told me that was the next step, I said, 'Oh, no! That is a disaster! You saw Thor, you saw Captain America, you saw Iron Man - those things don't go together!' "
 * "We're so out of the loop! I'm expecting delivery of the script any day now. When it comes you can guarantee It'll be read in 25 minutes."

Trivia

 * Scarlett was married to Ryan Reynolds who portrayed Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity and Deadpool/Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and is expected to portray the character again in the upcoming film of the same name. They divorced in 2011.
 * Scarlett has co-starred with a number of actors and actresses from other Marvel movies including Samuel L. Jackson in The Spirit, Scott Terra in Eight Legged Freaks, Hugh Jackman in The Prestige and Scoop, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Connelly in He's Just Not That Into You, Natalie Portman, Eric Bana and Andrew Garfield in The Other Boleyn Girl and Anthony Hopkins, Danny Huston and Jessica Biel in Hitchcock. She also previously worked with Chris Evans in The Perfect Score and The Nanny Diaries.