Actress Scarlett Johansson: film profile

© SIPA / Scarlett Johansson and Sofia Coppola

Scarlett is one of the few child stars to make the successful transition to adult roles without a hiccup. 

At 8 years old, she appeared on Broadway in her native New York alongside Ethan Hawke. Deliberately avoiding throwaway teen flicks that would have typecast her as a curvy Mischa Barton ("The characters are either clichés, violent junkies or first class idiots,"), Scarlett surrounded herself with mentors who recognised her talent and took her under their wing:

Robert Redford directed and starred alongside 14-year-old Scarlett in The Horse Whisperer. He said of his young co-star: "She'll go far."

Acclaimed director Sofia Coppola offered a 17-year-old Scarlett her breakthrough role in Lost In Translation. The film was an unexpected hit, thanks in no small part to the legendary opening shot of Scarlett's derrière, clad in see-through pink knickers (not a body double). An icon was born, and Scarlett was propelled to Marilyn Monroe status. Her performance in Lost In Translation earned her a BAFTA and a Golden Globe nomination. 

Brian de Palma truncate Scarlett as a former prostitute in his 2006 adaptation of bestselling novel The Black Dahlia. The 1940s film introduced Scarlett to retro glam, and she's never looked back style-wise!   

Scarlett's talent also caught the eye of one Woody Allen. The prolific director had said he didn't want any more 'Woody muses' after actresses Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow, but soon changed his mind for Scarlett! Woody has directed Scarlett in three films: last year's hits Match Point and Scoop, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which was showcased at the Cannes Film Festival.