Scarlett Johansson warns of dangers of child stardom

Scarlett Johansson has recently revealed the darker side of growing up in the spotlight, calling stardom a “dangerous thing”.

The Black Widow actress, who garnered recognition for her performance in the 2021 action/sci-fi film, opened up about her journey as a child star.

During an exclusive conversation with Vanity Fair magazine, she explained, “Making decisions on your own – like adult decisions as a kid – it’s a dangerous thing, right?”

Johansson, 40, also reflected on the other actors who began their career at a very young age and struggled to cope with the pressures of fame.

She continued, “I lived through that and also very fortunate that I dodged a lot of it.”

Later in the interview, the Hollywood star spoke about her life-changing role in 2003 Lost in Translation alongside Bill Murray.

The Avengers actress added, “After Lost in Translation, every role that I was offered for years was ‘the girlfriend,' ‘the other woman,' 'a s*x object' – I couldn’t get out of the cycle. It sort of felt like, ‘Oh I guess this is my identity now as an actor’. There wasn’t much I could do with that.”

Johansson also expressed gratitude to her parents for setting strict boundaries during her youth, which she says protected her from potential harm.

For the unversed, Scarlett – one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood – made her film debut in 1994 fantasy-comedy North.