Scarlett Johansson: Scarlett Woman
Q: What's the interior design going to be like?
A: My dad's turning my bedroom into a bordello with satin wallpaper--really tacky--with angels painted on the ceiling, paintings of nude women on the walls, a four-poster bed. The living room I want to look very Frank Lloyd Wright. I want to get all that brushed, steel furniture from the '30s, and my father's building a long, rounded wet bar. I wanted to put a hot tub in the living room, and I love how when I suggested it, instead of someone saying, "That's ridiculous," they said, "Oh, of course we can do that." Actually, I think it's very illegal, and they probably would have screwed me over, although my dad could definitely put it in without telling anybody. But it would just take up too much space.
Q: With your profile heightening exponentially lately, are you reaping tons of free celebrity swag?
A: It's certainly nice to get sent tons of free shit, but it's not the same feeling I get as when I charge my credit card and say to myself, "Damn, I bought and paid for that thing. I earned it." It's a wonderful feeling to be able to shop for nice things for myself, my family and friends.
Q: With your star in ascension, have you ever caught yourself in high diva mode?
A: Serious diva behavior just means someone who tramples all over "little people," people who are basically working their assess off for you. I don't believe in that kind of work ethic. I'm certainly whiny about things, like, "Oh, but can't you deliver that thing I need here? Otherwise, I'll have to walk all that way," like, "poor little movie star" me. That kind of thing I can get a little diva-ish about.
Q: Peter Webber, who directed Girl with a Pearl Earring, told me that, despite your appearing in virtually every scene and working very hard on locations, he only heard you complain once.
A: About the cold, right? I didn't have much to complain about on that movie besides the freezing cold and my sinuses, which I have trouble with three or four times a year. Instead of saying something on a set like, "Don't expect me to be happy because I'm miserable," say, "Why am I here? Please wrap me soon. I don't feel well." People sometimes forget that you're, like, half-dying and they're moving you here and there and you're standing outside freezing without a coat. But when you're making movies, there's no stopping. It's not like your mom can say, "OK, you don't have to go to school today." Mike Barker, the director of A Good Woman, was really sweet trying to get my scenes finished early because my nose kept getting all runny. See? I whine a lot.
Q: I whine, too, when I'm overworked. You deserve a vacation, but aren't you about to shoot another movie?
A: I am doing the Weitz brothers movie, Synergy. I have to do some tennis training for it because I play Dennis Quaid's daughter, and he and I have a couple of scenes where we're playing tennis together. When you're on a film set, even though it's tough because you're not sleeping and you're up crazy hours, you don't actually do any physical activities. You're like this big ogre. I don't do any physical exercise anyway, so I'm looking forward to having a really fabulous tennis instructor. Plus, the movie shoots here and for a week in New York, so I can, like, furnish my new apartment while I'm filming. Yay, furniture!
Q: What's the biggest self-discovery you've made recently?
A: Within these past six, eight months, I've noticed that I feel like a very strong person. I have a survival instinct and mentality. Sometimes, you forget to give yourself credit for being compassionate, caring, and sometimes you have to step back and go, "Wait a minute. I am a pretty good person. I do good things for people. I think about them." That's something I'm finally giving myself credit for.
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