Scarlett Johansson Says a Film She Hated Three Times Changed How She Measures Success

Scarlett Johansson has spent nearly three decades navigating a career that swings between indie darlings, blockbuster franchises, and experimental art films. But for her, the real measure of a project’s worth isn’t just critical acclaim or box office numbers—it’s the strength of the reaction it provokes, even if that reaction is pure hatred.

In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, Johansson recalled the polarizing premiere of Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin at the 2013 Venice Film Festival. The audience response was split right down the middle—half cheering, half booing, both with equal intensity.

“It was the first time I had seen the film with an audience and the first time I saw the film finished,” Johansson said. “When the lights came up … there was this sound of people cheering and booing at the same time, but with equal gusto. I didn’t know how to react. I was sort of shocked.”

While Johansson found the experience disorienting, Glazer was delighted. “Jonathan was like, ‘That was the best reaction! That was the most amazing sound I’ve ever heard in my life,’” she recalled.

No Room for Tepid

The experience helped crystallize Johansson’s belief that indifference—not failure—is the real enemy of art. “I would way rather not have middle ground,” she said. “I would way rather fail in someone’s eyes than be that sort of tepid. That’s the worst.”

It’s a philosophy she traces back to her own moviegoing experiences—particularly with Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut. Johansson says she saw the film three times in theaters, despite (or perhaps because of) hating it at first sight.

“The first time I saw it, I hated it,” she admitted. “I had a visceral reaction to it I hated it so much. And then I was like, I have to see that movie again, I hated it so much. And then I loved it. I think in some ways, I hated the emotional experience—it’s like a visceral reaction. There’s passion behind it. I can’t ever totally fault a film that I absolutely hate.”

The Value of Strong Reactions

Johansson’s perspective puts her in rare company among A-list actors willing to court artistic risk over safe, lukewarm approval. Films like Under the Skin, which baffled some and enthralled others, stand as proof of her appetite for work that provokes, unsettles, and refuses to leave audiences unmoved.

In Johansson’s eyes, a movie that inspires strong feelings—love or hate—accomplishes something a perfectly pleasant but forgettable film never can. “That’s the worst,” she reiterated. “Middle ground.”

And as her career continues to balance Marvel mega-hits with daring art-house experiments, it’s clear Johansson has no interest in playing it safe. Sometimes, a chorus of boos is just as satisfying as a standing ovation.