She is Hollywood’s most bankable actress. Since trying her hand at theater and film at the age of seven, Scarlett Johansson has never ceased to impress movie lovers. From The Horse Whisperer to Lost in Translation, passing through Lucy, Jurassic World and the Marvel films, here is a look back at the career of the actress with 36 films to her name.
Her talent is worth billions. Last July, Scarlett Johansson became Hollywood’s most profitable actress thanks to her 36 films, which have grossed no less than $14.8 billion at the box office. This places her ahead of Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Downey Jr. in the ranking established by The Numbers, largely thanks to the success of Jurassic World: Renaissance, which has already earned hundreds of millions of dollars since its theatrical release.
Global success at just 14
Born in 1984 in New York, Scarlett Johansson developed an early interest in theater and cinema. She studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, a renowned acting school, and began auditioning at the age of seven or eight. After appearing in a few commercials and TV movies, the 10-year-old actress starred alongside Bruce Willis in North and received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her role in Manny & Lo.
Natural in front of the camera, the young prodigy was introduced to the world in 1998 at the age of 14. Starring opposite Robert Redford, she played Grace in The Horse Whisperer, a worldwide success. Building on this triumph, she continued with auteur and independent films, such as The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001), before achieving another international breakthrough with Lost in Translation (2003) by Sofia Coppola, alongside Bill Murray. Her portrayal of Charlotte earned her the BAFTA Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe nomination.
Not even 20 years old, Johansson was already enjoying worldwide acclaim. Versatile and subtle in her emotional range, she thrived in dramas such as Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) and A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004), the latter earning her another Golden Globe nomination. She then caught the attention of Woody Allen, who cast her in three of his films: Match Point (2005), Scoop (2006), and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), showcasing her talents in both femme fatale roles and romantic comedies.
Marvel: Hollywood’s Gold Mine
2010 marked a turning point in her career. Scarlett Johansson joined the Marvel franchise, starring in blockbusters that generated billions at the box office. She debuted as Black Widow in Iron Man 2 and went on to appear in The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and Captain America: Civil War (2016). She later reprised her role in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and, of course, Black Widow (2021), a standalone film centered on her character.
She seamlessly fit into this sci-fi universe, adding yet another string to her acting bow. Meanwhile, she also starred in Her (2013) alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Lucy (2014), a Luc Besson film that became a major commercial hit. In the animated film Sing (2016), she voiced Ash, a rock-loving female porcupine. Johansson also made a striking impression in Marriage Story (2019), earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, and in Jojo Rabbit (2019), for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. This made her one of the rare actresses to be nominated twice in the same year. In 2023, she appeared in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City.
This year, Scarlett Johansson joined another hugely popular and lucrative franchise: Jurassic World: Renaissance, in which she plays the lead role. Released in theaters last July, the film has already generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. This performance reaffirms the magnetic, natural, and versatile talent of the actress, whose 36-film career has made her one of the most influential women in the world.
Read also : Josephine Baker, heroic “Black Venus”
Featured photo : © Europacorp
