The most memorable roles of Scarlett Johansson's career

While The Man Who Wasn’t There is a better movie, one of the least-seen Coen Brothers films probably doesn’t belong on a “most memorable” list. While Ghost World was not a sensation, it was built to be a cult favorite, considering it was based on a cult comic book. Though Thora Birch played Enid Coleslaw, Johansson plays her best friend (frenemy?) Rebecca in an early role that has stood the test of time.

If you weren’t in on Ghost World, you surely know Lost in Translation . The film supercharged the career of director Sofia Coppola (who, you know, had a bit of help) and Johansson. Starring alongside Bill Murray in the Oscar-nominated movie, a still quite young ScarJo was tapped for future stardom at this point.

Do recall that there was once a time when starring in a Woody Allen film was not a bananas notion. A lot of people sought out such roles. Annie Hall won Best Picture! Match Point was also well-received at the time, so much so that it popped to us when we looked through Johansson’s filmography. The psychological thriller was unusually gripping for an Allen movie, and Johansson is crucial to that as the female lead.

Yes, one more Allen movie. Hey, we didn’t include Scoop. Scoop is bad and has been completely forgotten! Vicky Cristina Barcelona is memorable because Penelope Cruz won an Oscar for the movie. She’s not the only one who is good in it, of course. Johansson plays Cristina, a young woman who joins her friend Vicki on a summer trip to, you know, Barcelona.

As with many actors of the last decade or so, Johansson got swallowed up by the MCU. Much of her filmography has been built upon Marvel movies for many years. They are all memorable. Obviously, we will not mention them all. That would be redundant. Iron Man 2 is one of the worst Marvel movies, but it is the one where Johansson debuted as Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow. Thus, we had to include it. Only one more MCU movie is getting in the mix.

Titles can make or break a movie. Sometimes, they make an otherwise forgettable movie memorable. We Bought a Zoo got into the meme space the very moment people on the internet became aware that a movie called We Bought a Zoo existed. Cameron Crowe’s dramedy starring Johansson and Matt Damon is lukewarm. It’s not good enough to be enjoyable or bad enough to be entertaining. We will also remember We Bought a Zoo on our deathbed.

Under the Skin is way too weird to be popular. It’s off-putting but with intent. However, there is also a selection of movie fans who would call Under the Skin her best movie. It’s “high art,” in a sense. We bet a lot of people would call this her best acting work or at least a reminder that she could do serious dramatic acting. In this quiet, atmospheric film, Johansson plays an alien wandering around Scotland, seducing men to harvest them for food.

In Under the Skin, Johansson is compelling almost exclusively through face and body acting. In Her , Johansson manages to be compelling exclusively through her voice. In Spike Jonze’s right-side-of-quirky dramedy, Joaquin Phoenix plays a man who falls in love with his virtual assistant on his phone. That assistant, Samantha, is voiced by Johansson. Just using her voice, Johansson has to be a complete character, and she pulls it off with gusto.

Lucy is pure bonkers entertainment. Luc Besson’s movie makes no sense. It’s dumb. It’s also fun. Johansson plays Lucy, who is injected with a drug that makes this basically a superhero version of Limitless but even crazier. If you want to chill out, not think too hard, and see Johansson doing her sci-fi action thing, check out Lucy.

Hail, Caesar! is in the running for the most-underrated Coen Brothers film. It’s a delightful Hollywood comedy that brings the old-school movie business to the screen in a wonderful, caustic way. Josh Brolin’s fixer Eddie Mannix is in the middle of it all, but he’s only one of the memorable, enjoyable performances. Johansson is in the mix as an Esther Williams-esque movie star dealing with a personal matter she needs help with.

A few things make Ghost in a Shell memorable. None of them have to do with the quality. This is another C, C-minus movie that is not enough of a fiasco to be entertaining. Ghost in a Shell is based on a popular manga and anime of the same name, and in said anime, the main character is not white. Now, the main character is also a cyborg. Also, the director of 1995’s seminal Ghost in a Shell, Mamoru Oshii, said he saw no problem with Johansson’s casting. That didn’t stop a ton of people on the internet from getting super mad about it, though, which helped make Ghost in a Shell memorable, for better or worse.

When a Netflix movie picks up six Oscar nominations and one win, it will be memorable. Marriage Story was a critical darling written and directed by Noah Baumbach. The searing divorce drama mined Baumbach’s own life for content, making the whole thing that much more visceral. Johansson plays the woman of the couple, and she was one of the Oscar nominees, though Laura Dern got the win.

The same year she was nominated for Best Actress, Johansson was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Jojo Rabbit doesn’t feel like it will stand the test of time from a quality standpoint, but it will very likely remain memorable. After all, it’s a movie about a young German boy whose imaginary best friend is…Adolph Hitler. Yeah, that’ll stick in people’s minds.

We had to include Black Widow because after over a decade, Johansson finally got her starring vehicle in the MCU. It took so long that it came after (spoiler) Natasha had died in the MCU. Black Widow also had the misfortune of being timed around the COVID-19 pandemic, which obliterated the movie industry. Black Widow could have been a little grittier and streamlined, but it’s a solid action film with an impressive supporting cast. The movie is also memorable because Disney decided to release it in theaters and on Disney+ simultaneously, so Johansson sued them.

As has become the norm for Wes Anderson, Asteroid City is packed to the brim with actors — notable actors. And yet, Johansson is still able to stand out in the excellent ensemble piece. To the extent the film has leads, Johansson is one of them. Of course, she’s also in a dual role because Anderson’s Asteroid City has a storytelling conceit we won’t spoil. Unlike Natasha dying in the MCU. You’ve had enough time on that front.