Girls Man World: Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress and singer. Johansson made her film debut in the 1994 film North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in 1996's Manny & Lo. Johansson rose to fame with her roles in 1998's The Horse Whisperer and 2001's Ghost World. She transitioned to adult roles with her performances in Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation, for which she won a BAFTA Award, and Girl with a Pearl Earring, both of which earned her Golden Globe Award nominations in 2003. A role in A Love Song for Bobby Long earned her a third Golden Globe for Best Actress nomination. Following an appearance in The Island, Johansson garnered a fourth Golden Globe nomination, for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in Woody Allen's Match Point. She also starred in other Allen movies such as Scoop, with Hugh Jackman and Allen himself, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, alongside Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and Rebecca Hall. Scarlett Johansson also appeared in other films such as Christopher Nolan's The Prestige and the Summer blockbuster Iron Man 2. A role in the 2010's Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge gave her some of the career's best reviews for her acting work and she received a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play. On May 20, 2008, Johansson debuted as a vocalist on her first album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, which included cover versions of Tom Waits songs. Her second album, Break Up, with Pete Yorn, was released in September 2009.

Johansson was born in New York City on November 22, 1984. Her father, Karsten Johansson, is a Danish-born architect, and her paternal grandfather, Ejner Johansson, was a screenwriter and director. Her mother, Melanie Sloan, a producer, comes from an Ashkenazi Jewish family from the Bronx. Johansson has an older sister, Vanessa, who is an actress; an older brother, Adrian; a twin brother, Hunter (who appeared in the film Manny & Lo with Scarlett); and an older half-brother, Christian, from her father's first marriage. Johansson grew up in a household with "little money," and with a mother who was a "film buff." She and her brother, Hunter, attended P.S. 41 in Greenwich Village in elementary school. Johansson began her theatrical training by attending and graduating from Professional Children's School in Manhattan in 2002. Johansson began acting during childhood, after her mother started taking her to auditions. She made her film debut at nine years old, as John Ritter's daughter in the 1994 fantasy comedy North. Following minor roles in the 1995 film Just Cause, as the daughter of Sean Connery and Kate Capshaw, and If Lucy Fell in 1996, she played the role of Amanda in Manny & Lo (1996). Her performance in Manny & Lo garnered a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female, and positive reviews, one noting, "[the film] grows on you, largely because of the charm of ... Scarlett Johansson", while San Francisco Chronicle critic Mick LaSalle commentated on her "peaceful aura", and wrote, "If she can get through puberty with that aura undisturbed, she could become an important actress."

In 2008, she starred in The Other Boleyn Girl, opposite Natalie Portman and Eric Bana, a film which garnered mixed reviews. Writing for Rolling Stone, Pete Travers criticized the film for " in frustrating herks and jerks", but was more positive in his assessment of Johansson and Portman, and wrote, "What works is the combustible teaming of Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, who give the Boleyn hotties a tough core of intelligence and wit, swinging the film's sixteenth-century protofeminist issues handily into this one." Variety credited the cast as "almost flawless ... at the top of its game", citing "Johansson’s quieter Mary ... as the pic’s emotional center, her tender love story with the conflicted monarch evoking the only genuine feelings on display."In March 2009, Johansson signed on to play Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2 after a scheduling conflict forced Emily Blunt to drop out of the part. The film, released in May 2010, was directed by Jon Favreau and also starred Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson and Sam Rockwell. Appearing at Comic-Con in San Diego, California on July 26, 2009, Johansson joked about her audition for the film, saying it consisted of "a couple of deep knee bends and lunges", but Favreau credited her with performing her own stunts: "All the fighting and wire work is her own. She worked really hard and it shows on the screen."

She started dating Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds in 2007, and on May 5, 2008, it was reported that the two were engaged. On September 27, 2008, Johansson and Reynolds were married at a quiet ceremony near Tofino, British Columbia. They purchased a $2.8 million home together near Los Angeles, California. On December 14, 2010, Reynolds and Johansson announced that they had separated, saying "after long and careful consideration on both our parts, we've decided to end our marriage...We entered our relationship with love and it's with love and kindness we leave it." Reynolds filed for divorce on December 23, 2010 in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences. Johansson filed her divorce response simultaneously. She has criticized the media and Hollywood for promoting an image that causes unhealthy diets and eating disorders among women, saying, "Being ultra-thin is not sexy at all. Women shouldn't be forced to conform to unrealistic and unhealthy body images that the media promote." Johansson is registered as an independent and campaigned for Democratic candidate John Kerry in the 2004 United States presidential election. About George W. Bush's reelection, she said, "[I am] disappointed. I think it was a disappointment for a large percentage of the population." Johansson also campaigned for Democratic candidate Barack Obama: her efforts included appearances in Iowa during January 2008, where her efforts were targeted at younger voters; an appearance at Cornell College; and a speaking engagement at Carleton College, in Northfield, Minnesota, on Super Tuesday, 2008. Johansson appeared in the 2008 music video for Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am's song, "Yes We Can", directed by Jesse Dylan, a song inspired by Obama's speech following the 2008 New Hampshire primary. In addition to her political advocacy, Johansson has taken part in social advocacy as part of the anti-poverty campaign ONE which was organized by U2 lead singer Bono.