Scarlett Johansson Tells Studios: 'It Seems Irresponsible to Make This'

Scarlett Johansson has revealed that she sometimes rejects Hollywood studio offers so bluntly that she tells executives not to make the film at all. The Oscar nominee made the comments to the Los Angeles Times during her press tour for "Paper Tiger," the independent drama Neon picked up shortly before its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

"Am I making something that other people want to see? Is there an audience for this movie? I'm not making a movie just for me," Johansson said of how she selects roles. "Sometimes I get studio projects that I have to say, 'I don't think you should make this. I don't know who you're making this for. It seems irresponsible to make this.'"

She did not name the projects she rejected. Her studio output in recent years has been dominated by Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and her last Hollywood tentpole was 2025's "Jurassic World Rebirth."

What does this change for her career?

Nothing immediately, but the comments signal where her priorities now sit. She spent much of this year shooting back-to-back studio tentpoles: "The Exorcist: Martyrs," in theaters March 12, 2027, and "The Batman 2," set for Feb. 18, 2028. Her role in the Warner Bros.-backed superhero sequel remains a mystery, and she told "Entertainment Tonight" earlier this month that the part resisted her.

"It was very hard to figure out," Johansson said. "I don't know why, whether it was just the role or it was just where I am in my life, but it was just hard to crack it. And that's all I can say about it."

Next in her production schedule is "Scapegoat," the new film from "Midsommar" and "Eddington" director Ari Aster. A24 backs the project, and Jude Law co-stars.

"I don't know what it is either," Johansson told the Times about the movie. "I'll have more information for you after a few weeks. The script is just so intense. It has this immediacy to it that is really different. I've never read anything like it before. [My husband] was like, 'What are you reading?' Because I kept going, 'Oh, my God!'"

The rejections that shaped her

Johansson has spoken before about the studio roles she wanted and lost. Two stand out: Alfonso Cuarón's "Gravity," which went to Sandra Bullock, and "Iron Man 2," where Emily Blunt originally landed Black Widow before scheduling conflicts forced her out.

In a previous Variety interview, Johansson cited losing both roles as the moment she went into crisis mode as an actor.

"I got turned down for two roles — the first was 'Iron Man 2' and then the other one was 'Gravity,'" she said. "I had wanted that role so much. It was sort of the straw that broke the camel's back. I felt really frustrated and hopeless. Like, 'Am I doing the right job?' The work I was being offered felt deeply unfulfilling. I think I was offered every Marilyn Monroe script ever. I was like, 'Is this the end of the road creatively?'"

The answer, on the evidence, was no. Johansson has long alternated major studio films with edgier independent fare, and "Scapegoat" with Aster follows directly on the wrap of "The Batman 2." Her next test of that balance arrives with "The Exorcist: Martyrs" in March 2027.