Scarlett Johansson Reveals the One Lesson She Took From Robert Redford — “He Made Me Feel Like I Had Space to Be Creative”

Scarlett Johansson may be one of Hollywood’s most accomplished actors, but when it came time to step behind the camera for her directorial debut, she looked to a beloved mentor for inspiration: the late Robert Redford.

Speaking at the New York City premiere of her first film as a director, Eleanor the Great, on Sept. 24, Johansson opened up about the trait she hoped to emulate from Redford — patience.

Learning From a Hollywood Legend

Johansson worked with Redford at just 12 years old when she starred opposite him in 1998’s The Horse Whisperer, which he also directed. The experience, she says, shaped how she now approaches actors as a filmmaker.

“Because you’re always in a rush on set, but not letting any of the actors feel like you’re in a rush — I think that’s really important,” Johansson told PEOPLE.
“Bob Redford always took so much time with me and he was so patient. It was really impactful; it made me feel like I had the space to really explore and be creative.”

Redford, who passed away on September 16 at age 89, is remembered by Johansson not only as a mentor but as someone who fundamentally changed her understanding of acting.

“Booey”: A Nickname and a Lasting Influence

Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earlier that week, Johansson shared a lighter memory — revealing that she had nicknamed Redford “Booey” during their time together, though she laughed that she couldn’t remember why. But the bond they built clearly stayed with her.

“He was such a warm, kind, patient, generous, wonderful man,” Johansson said. “Every scene we would do, he would talk me through where my character had been up until that point, and it was like he had all the time in the world to do that. It was transformative for me.”

Johansson added that working with Redford gave her a deeper respect for acting as a craft. “I had a complete understanding of, ‘Oh, this is actually a craft — something you get better at and understand more the more you put into it.’ That was all because of Bob, Mr. Redford — slash Booey.”

Carrying Redford’s Legacy Behind the Camera

With Eleanor the Great, Johansson says she’s striving to bring that same sense of calm and creative freedom to her own cast — a way of working that Redford modeled for her decades ago.

For audiences, it’s a touching full-circle moment: a child star shaped by one of cinema’s most iconic storytellers now stepping into a new creative era of her own. And for Johansson, it’s clear that the quiet patience of Robert Redford still guides her every move as a filmmaker.

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