Out of the spotlight

Scarlett Johansson glad she evaded ‘media monster’ as a child

Photo: AFP

Scarlett Johansson, who started her movie career when she was 10, says she was fortunate to escape the consequences of the social media and was instead only worried about school rivalry. “Today, there’s this media monster that comes with the popularity, and with the internet and the 24-hour news cycle. Everything is out there,” Johansson said in a statement.

“I was fortunate enough that, especially when I grew up, whatever ups and downs I had, weren’t pulled apart by anyone other than the usual mean girls in high school,” said the actress, voicing her concerns about today’s omnipresent news portals.

Her childhood was particularly happy with that time.

“I got to figure out who I was and who I was going to be without people judging me, or my career or my clothing which I really think was important for me, not just as a person but as an actor. You need to experience life in order to be able to play it,” she said.

The 29-year-old actress, who is now expecting her first child, will soon be seen in her upcoming thriller Lucy.

Johannson plays the role of Lucy, a woman living in Taipei, Taiwan who is forced to work as a drug mule for the mob. The drug implanted in her body inadvertently leaks into her system; she soon turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.