Even before ing the MCU as one of the original Avengers, Scarlett Johansson was one of the biggest box office draws in the world. The recipient of a BAFTA, a Tony Award, and two Oscar nominations, Johansson is one of the only Marvel stars who is even more famous than the superhero she plays.
Since the beginning of her career, Johansson has worked with some of the most prolific and acclaimed directors in Hollywood. She played one of her early star-making roles for Sofia Coppola and subsequently collaborated with Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach, and the Coen brothers.
Jon Favreau
Iron Man 2. Favreau also shared the screen with Johansson in the role of Tony Stark’s head of security, Happy Hogan (a role he still plays to this day).
While Iron Man 2 suffered from an overstuffed script, Johansson reteamed with Favreau for a couple of more well-received movies: the heartwarming food truck movie The Jungle Book, in which Johansson provided the voice of Kaa.
Luc Besson
French filmmaker Luc Besson is one of the most renowned names in the action genre. He helmed the classic hitman thriller The Fifth Element.
Besson cast Johansson to play the title character in Limitless premise of a human being unlocking 100% of their brain’s capacity.
Christopher Nolan
Widely praised for his Batman movies, Christopher Nolan is one of the most popular directors working today. Nolan was heavily influenced by the film noir genre and most of his movies feature a femme fatale, like Catwoman or a dream projection of Dom Cobb’s late wife Mal.
Johansson played the femme fatale in The Prestige: Olivia Wenscombe, the assistant to both Angier and Borden, the rival magicians competing at the heart of the story.
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze is a master of many trades. He’s one of the co-creators of the Adaptation.
Jonze cast Johansson as the voice of Samantha, the Siri-like A.I. that Joaquin Phoenix’s loner falls for in his quirky, Oscar-winning dystopian sci-fi romance Her.
Taika Waititi
In addition to being a celebrated comedic actor, Johansson’s Marvel co-star Taika Waititi is a celebrated filmmaker. Before directing What We Do in the Shadows.
Waititi cast Johansson to play a mother harboring a Jewish refugee in Nazi in his biting World War II satire Jojo Rabbit. Johansson’s turn earned her a Best ing Actress nomination at the Oscars.
Brian De Palma
Strongly influenced by Alfred Hitchcock, Brian De Palma became one of the most renowned thriller Scarface, and Blow Out – are frequently ranked among the greatest movies ever made.
Johansson appeared in one of De Palma’s most divisive movies, The Black Dahlia, about the murder of Elizabeth Short. The film’s critical and commercial failure made it De Palma’s last movie with a big Hollywood studio, but Johansson’s performance as Short was widely praised.
Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson is a directorial voice like no other. From The Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson’s bittersweet tragicomedies have been universally praised by critics. Even his less acclaimed films, like The Life Aquatic, are usually reappraised as misunderstood cult classics a few years later.
A decade after adapting Roald Dahl’s Isle of Dogs, an original story whose star-studded voice cast features Johansson in the role of Nutmeg.
Sofia Coppola
After establishing her uniquely melancholic cinematic voice in her debut feature, an adaptation of The Virgin Suicides, Sofia Coppola tackled a more personal story for her sophomore directorial effort, Lost in Translation.
Johansson gave one of her early star-making turns in Lost in Translation as a directionless young woman who connects with a fading movie star played by Bill Murray.
Noah Baumbach
The same year that Johansson was nominated for Best ing Actress for her turn in Jojo Rabbit, she was also nominated for Best Actress for her performance in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story.
The Meyerowitz Stories, Baumbach has directed a handful of wonderfully humanist dramedies.
The Coen Brothers
From timeless comedy gems like Raising Arizona and No Country for Old Men, the Coen brothers have helmed some of the greatest movies ever made.
The Coens have cast Johansson a couple of times. She appeared in their subversive noir spoof Hail, Caesar!, in which she played a pregnant movie star inspired by Esther Williams.
