There’s no question that Scarlett Johansson is one of the most successful actors in the world. She first truly broke out in the early 2000s by shining in some independent films before branching out into bigger movies. Her true rise to stardom was landing the role of Natasha Romanoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
She played that part for a decade in some of the biggest movies ever. Throw in multiple Academy Award nominations (including two in the same year) and Johansson is a modern icon. With so many great characters portrayed on screen, it makes sense that some have gone overlooked over the years.
Francesca Curtis – The Perfect Score (Stream On Paramount+)
Looking back at 2004’s The Perfect Score is one of the most interesting things from a time capsule perspective. From an era before they were co-stars in the MCU, this film features both Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans, as well as future Parenthood star Erika Christensen and former NBA player Darius Miles.
The movie follows a group of high school students who work together on a heist to steal the answers to the upcoming SAT. Meant to be in the same vein as The Breakfast Club, there are characters from all walks of life and Johansson plays Francesca Curtis, whose dad owns the building where the test is stored. Though it didn’t get strong reviews, it’s worth a watch.
Anna Marks – He’s Just Not That Into You (Stream On HBO Max)
Although this was one of Scarlett Johansson’s bigger hits to not be part of the MCU (grossing over $100 million at the box office), it’s sometimes a film that gets overlooked for a handful of reasons. For one, the reviews were pretty mixed even if fans seemed to enjoy it, and for another, it boasts a loaded cast.
As good as Johansson was as Anna Marks, a yoga instructor who gets caught up in a romance with a married man, it’s often hard to remember it due to how many others are involved in 2009’s quotable hit He’s Just Not That Into You. Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, and Ginnifer Goodwin all do good work, among others, in this ensemble piece.
Jessica Thayer – Rough Night (Rent On Apple TV)
Scarlett Johansson doesn’t often get the credit she deserves for her comedic chops, likely since her biggest film roles are typically dramatic. However, anyone who has seen her host Saturday Night Live can attest to just how funny she can be, and those who saw 2017’s Rough Night also got to find that out.
Although this is another film that mostly got mixed reviews, many were impressed with how hilarious Scarlett Johansson was and her chemistry with co-stars Jillian Bell, Kate McKinnon, and Zoë Kravitz, to name a few. The story centers on a bachelorette party that gets thrown off the rails when a male stripper dies, and Johnasson plays Jessica Thayer, the woman getting married.
Mary Boleyn – The Other Boleyn Girl (Stream On Starz)
In one of her more dramatic roles, Scarlett Johansson got to portray Mary Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl. Released in 2008, this romantic tale based on a novel of the same name tells a fictionalized version of what happened between Mary, the mistress of King Henry VIII, and her sister Anne, who ended up as his second wife.
Part of what made this film work so well was the cast, as Johansson was joined by Natalie Portman and Eric Bana to lead the way. Johansson played well off of these talents and brought a mix of charisma and sympathy to the role.
Nutmeg – Isle of Dogs (Stream On Disney+)
It feels like voice acting performances are too often overlooked when it comes to discussing an actor’s best work. Scarlett Johansson has delivered the goods in this department in films like Sing and The Jungle Book, while an underrated voice role came a few years later in 2018’s Isle of Dogs.
Straight from the creative mind of writer/director Wes Anderson, this film is set in a world where canine influenza becomes contagious to humans, so all dogs are shipped off to Trash Island. Johansson voices a show dog on the island named Nutmeg, the love interest of the protagonist Chief (Bryan Cranston).
DeeAnna Moran – Hail, Caesar! (Stream On Netflix)
There’s just something about Scarlett Johansson that sees her end up in big ensemble movies filled with some of the most talented stars in Hollywood. In 2016, she did it again when she worked in Hail, Caesar!, another in a long line of well-received films from The Coen Brothers.
It’s a mystery and a comedy wrapped into one, centering on a Hollywood celebrity going missing while filming a movie in the 1950s. Johansson plays DeeAnna Moran, an actress who is also a synchronized swimmer and though there are plenty of big names involved in this film, her swimming scene is likely the most impressive part of it.
Olivia Wenscombe – The Prestige (Stream On Roku)
Although this is certainly not a role that has been forgotten by anyone, whenever people talk about 2006’s The Prestige, Scarlett Johansson isn’t often what comes to mind first. It’s usually the stellar work of director Christopher Nolan or the mind-bending twist involving Christian Bale’s character near the end.
However, it would be a shame to overlook just how good Johansson is as Olivia Wenscombe. She first shows up as the assistant to magician Robert Angier but when he sends her to spy on his rival (Bale), she ends up falling in love with him. It’s a fantastic performance by Johansson in a movie filled with them.
Barbara Sugarman – Don Jon (Stream On Showtime)
The directorial debut of the talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt saw him also act as writer and lead actor in 2013’s Don Jon. The plot is about a man who is addicted to watching pornography and struggles to form serious relationships in the real world due to his unrealistic expectations from the things he sees in his videos.
Johansson arguably steals the show from Gordon-Levitt and Julianne Moore as Barbara Sugarman, a gorgeous woman who Jon dates for most of the film. She also has unrealistic expectations due to how many romantic movies she watches, causing them to clash. It gave Johansson the chance to play a totally new kind of character.
Samanta – Her (Stream On Kanopy)
As noted, Scarlett Johansson has lent her voice to plenty of film roles over the years. Most of those are in animation but an exception came in 2014 with Her. Starring Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix, the Spike Jonze movie follows an introverted man who falls in love with the A.I. assistant from his operating system.
The relationship may not be traditional but Samantha is advanced enough to make the audience feel for the romance. Johansson lends her tones as Samantha and while Phoenix has to do so much on his own in this film, her voice acting is a performance that is as good as it gets.
The Female – Under The Skin (Stream On Hoopla)
A lot of the biggest names among actors tend to have their best performances in smaller-budget films. For Scarlett Johansson, in the middle of her run as Natasha Romanoff, she appeared in a little seen film titled Under the Skin. The 2013 sci-fi flick just might be the best work she has ever delivered on the big screen.
She plays an alien who puts unsuspecting men under her spell in Scotland and ultimately leads them to their deaths. It’s a subtle performance without much dialogue and really allows Johansson to put on a powerhouse performance using facial expressions and physicality.
