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Alien Encounter – A Conversation with Scarlett Johansson


Under the Skin
14 July 2014

Scarlett Johansson hopes that when audiences watch director Jonathan Glazer’s Under The Skin it will spark a debate and make them think.

“Personally, as an audience member I want to have an experience when I see a film and love it, hate it, whatever, I want to still be thinking about it three days later and have the visuals stuck in my mind. 

“I remember going to see Eyes Wide Shut and I don’t even know if I liked it, I can’t even tell you, but all I know is that it bothered me forever afterward and it’s rare to be able to have that experience from cinema. 

“And I think Under The Skin is the same. When we had the screening in Venice people were cheering and people were booing, people were speechless, people were vocal and it was mad. But they were engaged and that’s really the point and I know Jonathan has been very excited about that.”

Making the film on location in Scotland was, she says, an extraordinary experience and the whole crew felt that they were working on something very special outside the boundaries of mainstream cinema.

“It was a unique experience and I think it was a very different experience for the whole crew. I think we were all following and being led by Jonathan and also everybody who worked on that project was so inspired by Jonathan’s work and his vision that it felt very much like we were working with an auteur and working on something that we would never be able to re-capture. 

“We all felt like we were making something and something was happening and that was really exciting for all of us and I hope that the audience feels that, too, when they see it.”

Inspired by Michel Faber’s critically acclaimed novel, Ms Johansson plays a nameless alien who drifts across modern day Scotland in a van picking up and seducing men before luring them to their death.

She first met with Glazer to discuss the project three years ago and says that the script had changed radically by the time they started filming in and around Glasgow and in The Highlands.

“I think initially I was desperate to know what Jonathan was going to do next and I wanted the chance to work with him because I loved his earlier films. When we first started talking about this film I read a script that was completely different to the film you see now.

“The first script I saw must have been closer to the book but I don’t know because I’ve never read the book. I think the film that we made is so different from the book that it probably wouldn’t have made any difference at all if I had read it. 

“And I didn’t want to have any kind of impression of that at all because I had to work from the script. And it was over a few years that Jonathan and I were having these conversations and the core of the story became stronger and the purpose was more clear in his mind and the idea of the two of us collaborating became more of a reality.”

Glazer and Ms Johansson are reluctant to discuss the themes of their story preferring instead that audiences make up their own minds. Beautiful and surreal, it is an utterly unforgettable cinematic experience.

“When I watch the film it’s such a personal journey that it’s hard for me to be able to step outside of it and say ‘this is a film about the birth of fear’ or ‘love and sex’ or whatever different types of thematic connections we can all make. 

“I can’t see any of that because I just sit there paralysed with fear,” she laughs. “And I’m sure in a few years time I’ll be able to go, ‘wow, there are all of these themes and subjects..’ The other day someone asked Jonathan and I to describe the film and both of us sat there and were like, ‘next!’”

Glazer used hidden cameras to film Ms Johansson, almost unrecognisable in a raven dark wig, as she drives around meeting her ‘prey,’ asking for directions. There’s another memorable scene where she is walking through Glasgow and stumbles on the pavement and passers-by, all members of the public who have no idea they are being filmed, stop to help her.

Many of the scenes involve ‘real’ people filmed without their knowledge although, of course, Glazer and his crew had then to seek their permission to use the footage in the film. Working with the hidden cameras was both terrifying and exciting, she says.

“Working in the covert way we did at times was challenging and took a bit of getting used to,” she says. “It was pretty exciting and when you get stuff that is good it really paid off in the most amazing way. We would shoot all day and get one moment where it was so good and it was like, ‘wow, can you believe that really happened?’ It was incredible.

“And one thing that surprised me was that most people in general are very trusting. And maybe that’s partly because we were in Glasgow and they are very friendly and warm there in general.

“You know I think most of us feel like society is jaded and we don’t really have each other’s best intentions at heart and we are all really selfish – and whilst some of those things maybe true – most people are generally pretty trusting of one another or at least that’s what I found when we did the film. And they were helpful and kind, too.”

Ms Johansson had to tackle several nude scenes in the film when her character, the unnamed alien, is a seducing hitchhiker but, she says, they were essential for the story. 

“Anybody would be concerned about something like that. I mean, I’m not a nudist in my everyday life and it wasn’t like a thrill for me to undress in front of the camera,” she says. 

“But in some ways it was like a therapy because I had to recognise the things I was feeling self conscious about and then let go of them because I couldn’t have that. 

“I had to be able to have that discovery of my body and myself as the character and not be looking at my body and be comparing it to anything else or noticing the imperfections because there is no such thing for that character. 

“And you know, hopefully people won’t think that the nudity is gratuitous – and I certainly don’t think it is – it’s biological and it works for the film. I think it has to have that because it’s an important part of the character’s discovery.”

Ms Johansson was born and raised in New York City. She began acting as a child and made her film debut as a 10 year old in Rob Reiner’s North. Four years later she won critical acclaim for her performance as a troubled teen in Robert Redford’s The Horse Whisperer.

Her film credits include Ghost World, Lost In Translation, for which she won a Best Actress BAFTA Award, Girl With A Pearl Earring, The Perfect Score, Match Point, The Island, The Prestige, The Avengers and Don Jon.

 

 

Has it be fun taking the movie out on the road to the festivals?

I haven’t been on the festival circuit for a long time. I think it’s better than doing press junkets. You really get like the buzz around the movie and you get more interaction with the audience and it feels like people are coming here because they are celebrating film. It’s different than being stuck in a hotel and junketing, you get to feel the temperature of the festival and it’s exciting. I really like Toronto because you feel like the public are actually getting to see the films. And the city is big enough and it can really handle the size of the festival. It’s very cool. I’ve been seeing a lot of friends and you look forward to seeing each other’s films and that’s nice, too. And there’s not the pressure of the awards’ circuit.


What hooked you into this project? Was it the chance to work with Jonathan? Was it the script?

I think initially I was desperate to know what Jonathan was going to do next and I wanted the chance to work with him because I loved his earlier films. When we first started talking about this film I read a script that was completely different to the film you see now. It was really a two hander and it was more about how this alien couple try to assimilate into society and it was kind of focused on how they were trying to avoid being found out as the town tries to understand what is happening while people are disappearing. It was just not what it is today. It was a couple at that point. 

 

Was it closer to the book?

The first script I saw must have been closer to the book but I don’t know because I’ve never read the book. I think the film that we made is so different from the book that it probably wouldn’t have made any difference at all if I had read it. And I didn’t want to have any kind of impression of that at all because I had to work from the script. And it was over a few years that Jonathan and I were having these conversations and the core of the story became stronger and the purpose was clearer in his mind and the idea of the two of us collaborating became more of a reality. 

 

How long was that period from when you first talked to making the film?

I would say about three years and I would say I would meet with him every six months or so.

 

And you kept going because essentially you wanted to work with Jonathan?

Yes, I did. I really wanted to work with him and I would give that kind of commitment anyway if I really wanted to work with somebody. When I know I want to do something and I want it, I’ll get it or I’ll at least try (laughs). But I think part of that comes from having spent 20 years in the industry and still being that kid that wants the part. To me, I always feel like that if it doesn’t work out and I don’t get the part it’s because the director and I had different ideas and that makes sense to me. It’s like, ‘OK, I guess we’re on a different page..’ Whereas with Under The Skin the conversation was always open and I didn’t have to convince Jonathan it was more about us keeping the conversation open and seeing what he was thinking.

 

It’s remarkable that you are still so young and can say ’20 years in the industry…’

(laughs). I know it’s terrifying! And it’s wonderful too. I really love my job and I love it more now than I ever did before. I really do.

 

Why is that?

I have a much deeper understanding of my job and of my capabilities and my limitations. I have a much better understanding of the process of working with other actors. I have a greater understanding of the process of the work that I do and I think because I understand it better I have a bigger appreciation of it.

 

And is that to do with security as well? It’s a very insecure job, especially for a young actor starting out, but you have had a remarkable career and maybe confidence comes with that?

I think there is a certain kind of confidence in me. And I think you have to have a certain amount of confidence to be able to succeed. Actors are really self-deprecating but you also have to drive it like your own, I think, when you are working. Even if you don’t have the confidence to go out and get another job again – and that’s a different kind of confidence – you have to have the confidence to know when a scene is working or not working and if you’ve got it or if you haven’t and if it feels safe or if it feels good. And you know that is something that comes with time.

 

So you finally get to the point where you can start shooting in Scotland. Tell me how it developed from there? 

It took us a couple of weeks to kind of figure out what the essentials of this character were and you know the chase that you see, the hunt that you see, the specifics in that, just took a while to discover. But once we did, once we had a bit of a formula there it was like ‘OK, this is what my character needs and this is what she is willing to do to get there and these are the important things she needs to find out before she can strike’ then we knew the way ahead. But that took just a bit of getting used to and working in the covert way we did at times was challenging and took a bit of getting used to.

 

 

Let’s talk about the use of hidden cameras and you interacting with ‘real’ people…

It was pretty exciting and when you get stuff that is good it really paid off in the most amazing way. We would shoot all day and get one moment where it was so good and it was like, ‘wow, can you believe that really happened?’ It was incredible.

 

Were you nervous about doing that? It’s very exposing…

Yes, I was nervous and more than anything the idea of having to abandon all of your instincts and judgements and these characteristics that humanise us and having to just let go of those things and find a place in my mind that had a kind of pure motivation and intention without any of the rest of the noise was scary. And from that you have these revelations and moments of self-discovery that really were true discoveries and that’s terrifying because you can’t rely on the nuances and these tools that actors use and fall back on. You can’t have any of that so it was terrifying but also liberating and very exciting. 

 

Did people surprise you the way they reacted to you?

Yes, they did. And one thing that surprised me was that most people in general are very trusting. And maybe that’s partly because we were in Glasgow and they are very friendly and warm there in general but you know I think most of us feel like society is jaded and we don’t really have each other’s best intentions at heart and we are all really selfish – and whilst some of those things may be true – most people are generally pretty trusting of one another or at least that’s what I found when we did the film. And they were helpful and kind, too.

 

You said that the script changed drastically over the years but were the themes – loneliness, sex – essentially the same? And I appreciate that with a film like this different people will take different things from the film…

Yes, sure and for me to be able to have a perspective on it really and to notice these themes or to be familiar with them and articulate that. When I watch the film it’s such a personal journey that it’s hard for me to be able to step outside of it and say ‘this is a film about the birth of fear’ or ‘love and sex’ or whatever different types of thematic connections we can all make. I can’t see any of that because I just sit there paralysed with fear (laughs). And I’m sure in a few years time I’ll be able to go, ‘wow, there are all of these themes and subjects..’ The other day someone asked Jonathan and I to describe the film and both of us sat there and were like, ‘next…’ (laughs).

 

But perhaps that’s part of the purpose? To provoke a reaction and a debate and there will be many different perspectives and views on this?

Yes, that’s what it’s all about. Personally, as an audience member I want to have an experience when I see a film and love it, hate it, whatever, I want to still be thinking about it three days later and have the visuals stuck in my mind. I remember going to see Eyes Wide Shut and I don’t even know if I liked it, I can’t even tell you, but all I know is that it bothered me forever afterward and it’s rare to be able to have that experience from cinema. And I think Under The Skin is the same. When we had the screening in Venice people were cheering and people were booing, people were speechless, people were vocal and it was mad. But they were engaged and that’s really the point and I know Jonathan has been very excited about that.

 

Were you worried about the nudity?

Anybody would be concerned about something like that. I mean, I’m not a nudist in my everyday life and it wasn’t like a thrill for me to undress in front of the camera. But in some ways it was like a therapy because I had to recognise the things I was feeling self conscious about and then let go of them because I couldn’t have that. I had to be able to have that discovery of my body and myself as the character and not be looking at my body and be comparing it to anything else or noticing the imperfections because there is no such thing for that character. And you know, hopefully people won’t think that the nudity is gratuitous – and I certainly don’t think it is – it’s biological and it works for the film. I think it has to have that because it’s an important part of the character’s discovery.

 

You said that the big draw on this was the opportunity to work with Jonathan. Did he surprise you?

Jonathan always surprises me. He surprises me with his sensitivity and he is unbelievably perceptive and he is so curious and I’m constantly impressed by his curiosity and his integrity. There’s nothing about him that is false. He is exactly who he is in every way. He is very kind of pure in that way and there’s not any bullshit about him. I think you see that in his work and he is not afraid to make exactly what he wants to make and not feel he owes anybody anything. And that’s a wonderful thing because you feel like you are being led and directed by somebody who has confidence and vision. It was wonderful.

 

It sounds like it was a unique experience?

It was a unique experience and I think it was a very different experience for the whole crew. I think we were all following and being led by Jonathan and also everybody who worked on that project was so inspired by Jonathan’s work and his vision that it felt very much like we were working with an auteur and working on something that we would never be able to re-capture. We all felt like we were making something and something was happening and that was really exciting for all of us and I hope that the audience feels that too when they see it.

 

 

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Under The Skin is available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital platforms now, courtesy of StudioCanal.

Lucy is released in cinemas from August 22nd