To what extent can Scarlett Johansson be considered an adaptable and bankable star in her ongoing performance recreation?

 Since her breakthrough role in 2003s 'Lost in Translation', Scarlett Johansson has continuously proven that she is not just an actress who has 'coasted on her appearance' (D'addario, 2014) but one who possesses incredible talent and has the ability to become a box office draw.

 In his article journalist Daniel D'addario discusses Johanssons beginnings in Hollywood working with director Woody Allen. 'She gave the director what he apparently wanted, little more than sultriness' (D'addario, 2014). D'addario suggest that it is her work with Allen that established her as 'not much of an actress' (D'addario, 2014) but something pretty to please an audience. D'addarios article discusses Johansson early career and how it is her willingness to perform blankly and let her talents become lost to her sex appeal that made her a sometimes unlike-able and talentless Hollywood persona. He compares Johansson to Nicole Kidman who similarly, pre 'Moulin Rouge' spent her early years on film “projecting absolutely nothing on screen” (D'addario, 2014).

 Now in 2014, Johansson has truly come into her own as an actress, with a number of films in her repertoire, she has proven she has the ability to perform in a range of genres.  In this research report I will be analysing the ways in which Scarlett Johansson convincingly adapts to these genres and portrays believable characters. The films I will be analysing will be 'Lost in Translation', 'Iron Man 2' (2010) and 'Her' (2013).

 The elastic self can be defined as an actors ability to mould into a role or persona for any given project whilst still maintaining a public 'self' outside of the roles they play. The report will aim to examine the ways in which Scarlett Johansson becomes an 'elastic self' in order to portray this wide variety of characters in range of movie genres.

Methodology

 In order to conduct effective research I will undertake a rhetorical analysis the three aforementioned films.
 Rhetorical analysis is the study of the ways in which writers and speakers use words to influence an audience. A rhetorical analysis breaks down a non-fictional piece of work and

explains how the parts work together to create a certain effect—whether to persuade, entertain or inform. Using rhetorical analysis I will analyse the ways in which Scarlett Johanssons and to some degree the directors,  changes the techniques she uses in order to convince and entertain an audience..
 The examples of films I will be using to support my research will be taken from the genres of rom-com, action and sci-fi. Spanning from 2003 to 2013, these films also map the progression of Scarletts career from supporting actress to a strong lead role.

 2003s rom-com 'Lost in Translation' will be the first movie that I plan to analyse. Directed by Sophie Coppola, Scarlett acts opposite Bill Murray playing a neglected young women who forms an unlikely bond with a washed up actor.
 The second film that this research will concern itself with will 2010s 'Iron Man 2'. Johansson donned the role of Marvel comics Natasha Romonoff/Blackwidow and reprised the role in Avengers Assemble (2012) and Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014). The character of Blackwidow has proven to be a pivotal role for Johanssons career as her first action role in Hollywood transcending her from romantic interest to a strong female role.
 The final film that I will look at for this research will be one of Johanssons more recent features. 'Her' was released at the end of 2013 and stars Johansson alongside Amy Adams and Joaquin Phoenix. One of her more unusual roles, Johansson does not physically appear in 'Her', rather she loans her voice to the character of Samantha, an OS machine within which the lead character falls in love with.

 In order to gain further knowledge on the idea of the elastic self and stardom I will be referring to a number of texts written by media professionals.
 The first of which will be Thomas Austins and Martin Barkers 'Contemporary Hollywood Stardom' (2003). Austins and Barkers book explores the political economy of stardom as well as questions of performance. The chapter that I will be using to support my research is chapter two entitled 'Embodying an Elastic Self: The parameters of Contemporary' written by guest author Barry King. King raises some key commentaries on an actors performance in the contemporary Hollywood such as stars no longer being employees in the movie industry but rather they are 'stakeholders in the enterprise that managers their career'. (King,2003 cited in Austin and Barker 2003). King discusses how an actor 'must be ready to switch roles as business opportunities arise' (King,2003 cited in Austin and Barker 2003) as well as the paradox of being able to become protean yet quintessential to the roles they play. Kings ideas will be useful towards to the development of this research as they will give me an in depth knowledge to some of the issues Johanssons takes into account when performing in film.
 Another text that I will refer to for this research will be the Rikke Schubarts 'Super bitches and action babes'. Schubarts book discusses the breakthrough for women in cinema.; in the late 20^th century more women appeared in different genres of films such as action, war, westerns and science fiction. Schubarts book analyses the role of women in such genres and the role of the female action hero in popular films and how women often function as both a sexualized spectacle and as a new female hero.

 Schubarts work will be important to consider when analysing the final film in my research. One of her newest and possibly most iconic role, Johansson made her move into action movies by taking on the role of Marvels Black Widow.

Analysis

Lost in Translation

 The first film I will be analysing will be 2003s 'Lost in Translation'. Directed by Sophie Coppola, 'Lost in Translation' was Johanssons breakthrough role and made her recognisable as an a-list celebrity.

 Johansson plays Charlotte,  an intelligent and spiritually lost housewife staying in Tokyo whilst her husband works. After a chance encounter in her hotel bar Charlotte bonds with washed up actor Bob (Bill Murray) over their shared loneliness and adventures in Tokyo.

 Johanssons acting style has been described as 'low energy' (D'addario, 2014) however is it this low energy that made her the perfect casting choice to portray the young Charlotte. Bored and lonely in an unusual city.

 The films opens with a prolonged shot of Johanssons panty-clad rearend as she lies on her hotel bed facing away from the audience (Appendix 1). The camera lingers on her bottom for an uncomfortable thirty-six seconds before the title of the film appears on screen. The unusually long period of time spent staring at Johanssons rear end is Coppolas comment on women in films. She forces the audience to really become aware of what that are looking at and potentially question, why? In his article Todd Kennedy discusses Coppolas choice to open with such an awkward shot “by focusing on just Johansson's buttocks, creates a lack of sexuality by showing an excess of flesh.” (Kennedy, 2010). Coppola seemingly tries to make Johansson appear as non-sexual whenever possible, never showing the actress wearing make-up or flattering clothing. The scene following the opening credits shows Charlotte lounging around her hotel room in nothing more then a vest top and the underwear from the previous scene. The audience is made the feel that they are invading on Charlotte personal lounge time, not that she is a sexual being who is aware of her sexuality.
 After we are invited to join Charlotte on her journey around Tokyo, we begin to witness the real emotion behind the character.  As she begins to question her future with husband Jon (Giovanni Ribisi) she rings her friend Lauren for some comfort and as a way to vent. Sensing her friend is to busy to talk to her, Charlotte hangs up and begins to cry to herself (Appendix 2). This is the first implication that Charlotte is terribly lonely whilst in Tokyo, with a husband she feels is far more interested in his work then her and a friend who does not have time to listen to her.
 Throughout this scene we do not get a full view on Johanssons whilst on the phone. Instead we witness this from the side again making the audience feel they are intruding on a personal moment for the character.
 As we do not get to view Johanssons emotion through her facial expression the actress uses her voice in order to convey this. Rather then Johanssons deep sultry voice we have all come to know, her voice is of a much higher tone, making this actress sound younger and more innocent.

 Upon her friend answering the phone, he voice immediately breaks as if she is about to cry, indicating that this emotion has been building up for quite some time. In contrast to this we get the bubbly tone of her friend who is clearly distracted and not fully paying attention to Charlotte. Realising this Charlotte put the phone down and begins to cry to herself. It is only brief moment that she is crying as she wipes the tears away from her and pulls herself together.

 It is in Johanssons voice alone that we begin to feel and connect with this character, clearly looking for some kind of support, she only has in this strange city. Johansson crying is not over the top in this scene, in fact it is rather understated. D'addario would say this is because of her low energy skills however it is a great interpretation of a smart Yale graduate who is confused about her current mental state.
The lighting is a very notable aspect of Coppola direction. Known for using minimal  artificial lighting Coppola is able to capture the real emotion and atmosphere of a scene. In the above scene, the natural lighting from the sunset outside of Charlotte’s hotel room helps the create a solemn and isolated atmosphere for the set and thus creates more of a atmosphere for Johansson to draw inspiration from.

 The next scene I will be analysing will be the scene between Charlotte, her husband John and his friend Kelly.

 Whilst sharing what appears to be a rare intimate moment between the couple, they bump into an old client of Johns, Kelly (Anna Faris). Immediately she is a stark contrast to the quiet and introvert Charlotte. Her bubbly personality soon takes all of Johns attention away from his wife whom he also fails to introduce to his friend.

 In this scene Johansson utilises her so called 'skill' of dead pan acting to show the awkwardness of the situation as she stands at the sidelines watching her husband and Kelly reminisce (appendix 3). These simple facial expressions however to not appear to show the character as uncomfortable I her situation be rather she appears to be judging this bubbly actress.

 The final scene I will be looking at from this film will be the initial interaction between the two protagonists of the film. After going to the hotel bar alone, Charlotte is seated next to Bob (Bill Murray) and he makes a joke when she is trying to decide what drink to buy. During this interaction we begin to see a different side to Charlotte, she is witty and quick with her remarks which contrasts hugely to otherwise shy and reserved women we saw earlier in the film. There appears to be a light behind Johansson's eyes that we have only just noticed. Surprisingly, it is Charlotte who strikes up the conversation with Bob, asking him what it is he in Tokyo to which he immediately tells her everything. This is followed by an awkward silence as we'd assume she would begin to discuss hers. Instead she sits silently, appearing to be waiting for him to ask her. Johansson does not appear to react to Bobs story telling during his short piece, instead she stares at him smiling awkwardly when he is finished (appendix 4).
 There interaction appears awkward at first however there is clearly a connection between the two, something which may come as a bit of a surprise to introvert Charlotte. Johansson uses quick glances and girlish giggles to show this, perhaps portraying the awkwardness she is feeling in this current situation.

 Overall, Johansson performance in this movie is successful is conveying the surprisingly plain and lonely young wife of a travelling photographer.

 Previous to her role in 'Lost in Translation' Johansson had usual been chosen for her looks and became nothing more then a sex object however in this project, audience are witness to the begins of a very successful career for a talented actress.

Iron Man 2
 The second artefact I will be analysing will be 2010s 'Iron Man 2'. In this movie Scarlett Johansson made her action genre début by bringing Marvels super spy Natasha Romonoff or to use her alias Blackwidow to life. 
 Introduced as a member of the legal team of Stark Industries, donning the name Natalie Rushman, she immediately distracts both Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). Sparking the protagonists interests he invites her into the boxing ring. Upon entering Johansson slowing enters the ring whilst the camera remains focused on her face (Appendix 5). She stares into Starks eyes, waiting for him to respond rather than starting the conversation with him. It is this interaction with Stark that suggests Rushman is a mysterious yet self confident character who enjoys mild flirtations with the opposite sex.

 In 'Super bitches and action babes', Schubart states that “The first step to qualify as a female hero in a mans world is to be young and beautiful” (Rikke, 2007). Director Jon Favreau certainly establishes Rushman as a distractingly beautiful character; by playing on Johanssons sex allure, the audience is lulled in false sense of security that Johansson is purely there to please the eye and to support Stark playboy nature; at least for those members of the audience who do not read the comic books and are unaware of the real reason behind Rushman presence at Stark Industries.

  Johanssons acting style has been described as 'low energy' (D'addario, 2014) however in 'Iron Man 2' it is this low energy that makes both the films protagonist and the audience believe that she is who she says she is. It is the rare bursts of energy we can begin to wonder if there is more to this character (and Johanssons acting abilities for that matter) that meets the eye.

 When Hogan is tasked with giving the seemingly sweet and innocent Rushman a boxing lesson in the same scene he mistakenly mocks her when she comments she has had boxing training previously. When she appears to be distracted by Stark, Hogan takes that as an opportunity to show his boxing skills only to be taken the floor almost immediately.

 Although this scene in primarily there to introduce the character to the film as well as to the Marvel cinematic universe. Johansson manages to use her 'low energy' acting to make her appear as a one dimensional character, purely there to please the male audiences and and to support Starks playboy nature.

 The second scene from 'Iron Man 2' I will be looking at will be the scene in which Natalie helps Tony prepare for his birthday party. Although still looking professional Johansson wears a tight figure hugging dress, perfectly silhouetting her body. Calm and collected, she hands Stark a dirty Martini, looks flirtatiously at him and asks “Is that dirty enough for you?” clearly making the protagonist uncomfortable (appendix 6). Trying to provoke a response, Rushman sits seductively next to Stark barely making conversation with him, instead she projects a mysterious and interesting aura which Stark pin points perfectly when he states “you know it's hard to get a read on you” .

 At this point in the movie, Johansson has used Natalie Rushman and created a young, sexy and mysterious character. An audience member who is unaware of her alias may begin to wonder why producers chose such a well known actress to play a seemingly minor role in the film.
 The final scene from 'Iron Man 2' that I will be analysing will be the scene that the audience is finally made aware of Rushmans true identity, or as we now know her as, The Black Widow.
 When trying to break into a building, The Black Widow and Happy Hogan are faced with the task of disarming a number of security guards. In the time is takes Hogan to take down one guard we get to witness The Black Widow take down a number in a matter of minutes. This contrast between the two characters may seemingly be for comical substance however when taking into account Schubarts commentary on the popular female action hero, The Black Widow is simply a character who defies established gender roles and takes the action into her own hands, literally.
 During this scene, the camera follows Johanssons performances as The Black Widow, paying attention to those remarkable moves that knock the 'bad guys' out. After every move there is moment when the camera pauses and Johansson pauses in whatever position she is in, displaying to the audience her calm attitude towards the combat (appendix 7). It is this attitude and Johanssons dead pan acting that allows us to truly believe she is an unstoppable machine.

 Johanssons performance as The Black Widow in 'Iron Man 2' proved to audiences and critics that she was more then capable of performing roles that may call for her to use her allure however she  uses this as a mask for a character who has so many more layers to her. Johanssons successful portrayal quickly became an audience favourite with the character making further appearances in 2012s 'Marvels: The Avengers' and 2014s 'Captain America: The Winter Solider'.

Her
 2013 marked the release of one of Johansson most unusual roles. Set in the not too distant future, she stars along side Joaquin Phoenix as Samantha, an operating system (OS) designed to keep those who need it company. 'Her' is a heartbreaking story with themes of loneliness and love.

 We never see Johansson on screen in this film. It is truly Johanssons talents as a actress that must make the audience believe Joaquin Phoenix could fall in love with nothing more then a voice.“It wasn’t until she took her body off screen entirely, in her flirtatious and heartbreaking turn in “Her,” that we all realized she was good at acting” (D'addario, 2014).  Although acting since she was 8, it is in 2013 that we finally see the full range of Scarlett talents.

 The scene I look at will be the first time we are introduced to Samantha. As the protagonist of the film Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) begins to set up his new OS system the download music begins to play and we are building anticipation for himself and the audience. We then hear a gentle and soothing woman voice state “Hello I'm here”. Immediately, the tone in Johanssons voice portrays a flirtatious young women. Her tone is different to any other she has done before, she is bright and happy just as someone would be if they were in an eternal 'slumber' so to speak.

 Despite the newness in her tone, Johansson is able to sound 'all knowing'. It would be easy to believe that she is as intelligent as artificial intelligence would be.

 Throughout the film, Johansson manages to seamlessly switch between a caring friend/lover to the encouraging and upbeat companion.

 In the scene following Theodore's reminded of his impending divorce, we see Samantha try and console an emotional Theodore. Using a soft comforting tone, she truly sounds as though she cares for her friend and genuinely wants to make him feel better. Her lack of experience though make her fail to see the emotional damage a divorce can cause.

 The mood quickly changes to much more energetic one when she tries to get Theodore out of bed. Even though she is an A.I. Johanssons she makes us feel as though she is in the room with Theodore, as if she could be forcing him out of the bed physically. It is this interaction that makes her a believable personality even without the aid of being physically on screen.
 Part of this believability is due to the performance of  Joaquin Phoenix whilst on stage. Through his reactions to Samantha we get to truly feel the ins and out the relationship with an A.I. When the two characters interact we feel as though we are witnessing a really relationship between a couple.

 The final scene that I will be looking at will be one of the last scenes in the film. By this point in the film, both protagonists have been through traditional relationship issues. Both have experienced the pang of jealously, trust issues and feelings of doubt however they have always powered through.

 At this point in the film the inevitable has happened. Samantha being a machine that is capable of learning through experience and capable of feeling emotion has out grown her current state and yearns for something more. She finds herself belonging to world not of the physical. 

 Johansson performs this scene in a monotone voice the majority of the time. She tries not to show to much emotion, as if Samantha knew this was coming all along. Here we begin to see the traditional dead pan Johansson acting, somewhat similar to Charlotte in 'Lost in Translation'.

Conclusion

 Despite whether you like Johansson as a performer there is no denying her appeal. Johansson could easily receive roles based on her appearance alone however the actress is constantly pushing herself to try new things and to break the mould Hollywood had originally put her in.
 After analysing these films, it is clear Johansson has learnt where her strength lie in acting and utilises that in order to portray different characters. Her 'low energy' acting has become her greatest strength. As we can see in this report, she convincingly portrays a super spy so much so that the character returned for a further two films with another in works, as well as rumoured solo film.

 In 2014, during award season, Johansson caused uproar when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association ruled that she not eligible to be nominated for the title of best actress because he role was that of a voice over and we do not see her on stage. With having critism for the decision, it is clear that critics and audience a like have finally come to a place that they can finally appreciate Johansson for a talented actress.