“I felt super exposed”: Scarlett Johansson Broke Down in Tears After Hostile Reception From Fans

The Venice Film Festival is famed for its red carpet extravagance, bestowing movie premieres with standing ovations as lengthy as the Grand Canal itself. It is a prestigious platform for film personalities to showcase their works, which is a mark of recognition for the talent and dedication that fills the actors with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Meanwhile, renowned actress Scarlett Johansson, who is recognized for several top-notch films, was badly tarnished at the prestigious festival.

Venice Film Festival booed Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Under the Skin’ premiere

The esteemed event that lends every actor joy and enthrallment did exactly the opposite to Marvel star Scarlett Johansson in 2013’s Venice Film Festival. The actor’s 2013 sci-fi drama Under the Skin, which premiered at the festival, was accepted with booing and hissing. The actor could not hold back the tears as her movie was hooted by the audience. Talking to The Guardian, the event’s artistic director, Alberto Barbera, explained,

“It was one of the worst screenings I’ve attended. It was the only time the audience booed a film. Scarlett was almost in tears,” he added. “I tried to say to her: ‘Don’t worry, in time the film will be recognized..’ And that’s exactly what happened. It’s now a cult movie.”

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In the following years, the Lucy actor responded to the hash experience she had saying that it was her first time watching her film with the audience. And it felt quite vulnerable because she was on a huge mezzanine, “I was super exposed”. The actor said in The Guardian interview. 

“I think I was just… I wouldn’t say I was disturbed, but I was sort of shocked. We left the theater, and I was like, ‘That was so strange,’ and Jonathan was like, ‘That was the best reaction! That was the most amazing sound I’ve ever heard in my life”.

The director of the film Jonathan Glaze told Indiewire that Johansson is like all actors; she is sometimes very confident and sometimes not. She is strong and never goes into a movie without a clear purpose.  “She didn’t go into this film without understanding why she was doing it. It was not strategic; it was about wanting to work with someone.” In the end, Glazer added that mutual trust is essential; without the ability to confide openly and honestly, the effort becomes pointless.

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Under the Skin was received by sci-fi fans more than a general audience

Jonathan Glazer, widely acclaimed for his masterpieces like Sexy Beast and Birth, took a decade to complete his next project, Under the Skin. Adapted from Michael Faber’s 2001 novel, the movie Under the Skin is a thought-provoking sci-fi drama with Scarlett Johansson in the lead role. It has a unique and enigmatic narrative that explores the themes of humanity, identity, and alienation. Johansson is portrayed as an alien avatar living among the humans who try to make traverses through Scotland, interacting with various individuals along the way.

Under the Skin was widely received by critics and ardent science fiction fans, but it was not that responsive to the general audience because it might have baffled them by its surrealistic nature. So the film needs further rewatches to fully digest its cinematic narratives. This could potentially be the reason why the audience expressed their dissatisfaction by booing during the screening at the festival. As of now the movie is known for its artistic approach and atmospheric cinematography and is regarded as a cult classic.

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Source: IndieWire