Scarlett Johansson reflects on cons of dating people ‘not in the industry’

Scarlett Johansson recently opened up about the unique challenges that come with dating outside the entertainment world. 

In a candid conversation with fellow actor David Harbour for Interview magazine, published Tuesday, June 10, the Black Widow star reflected on how personal relationships can be a challenge when one partner isn’t familiar with the demands of an acting career.

“I’ve had serious relationships with people that were not in the industry, and I found one of the challenges was that the person had no idea of what I needed to do my job,” Johansson shared. 

“Obviously, if I was dating an oncologist, I wouldn’t know what they needed to do for their job. But it’s not so abstract.”

Johansson, 40, who is married to Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost, shares two children—Cosmo, 3, with Jost, and Rose, 10, with former husband Romain Dauriac.

She explained that a partner outside the industry often struggles to understand the lifestyle and the emotional range that actors experience on the job.

“I also think it’s easy to create a lot of jealousy when a person is not involved in the industry, because actors by nature are very free-spirited and they create very intimate relationships with people at work,” she said. 

“They can be loyal to a partner and also very engaged in all these other kinds of relationships, and I think it can be a blurry line for some people."

The Marriage Story actress also pointed out how being in the public eye complicates things even more. 

“Also, to have a relationship with the public can be a complicated thing for people outside of the industry to understand,” she added.

Before marrying Jost in 2020, Johansson was married to French journalist and art dealer Romain Dauriac from 2014 to 2017. She was also previously married to actor Ryan Reynolds from 2008 to 2011.

Reflecting on her work habits, Johansson told Harbour, “When I’m working, and you’re probably like this too, I’m pretty hermetic. If I’m in a town, I like to go to the little restaurant and movie theater, but I don’t like a lot of variation. I like things to be, I don’t want to say rigorous, but you want a routine.”

Through her reflections, Johansson offered an honest look into the balance between personal life and a public-facing profession—highlighting how mutual understanding plays a key role in maintaining healthy relationships.