Scarlett Johansson has had a packed career up to this point, with decades’ worth of experience. But not all experiences in her glittering career were good. The Black Widow actress pointed out that “being a 20-year-old woman in the early 2000s” was a particularly “harsh” thing. She also explained in an interview why it was so.

Scarlett Johansson recalls being famous in early 2000s

Scarlett Johansson broke out in the early 2000s as an adult actress after a stint as a child star. However, it came with some grave challenges. She revealed this during her interview on CBS Sunday Morning.

Johansson’s breakout role was in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation. Following this, the actress delivered multiple acclaimed performances. But she also gained a lot of attention because of how she looked. “It was such another time, too,” Johansson said.

“I think growing up in the entertainment industry and being 20-something years old in the early 2000s, being a 20-year-old woman in the early 2000s in the spotlight, I think in general it was just a really harsh time,” Johansson explained on CBS Sunday Morning on April 12, 2026. There she appeared to promote her new skincare line, The Outset.

“I think women were just pulled apart for how they looked in a way that was socially acceptable at the time, and it was tough. There was a lot placed on how women looked and what was offered at that time for women my age as far as acting roles or opportunities; it was much slimmer than it is now,” she added.

The 41-year-old compared it with the present day, where she claimed things were generally better.

Johansson further said that she felt young actresses “would get really pigeonholed” in the 2000s. Moreover, they would mostly get offers like “the other woman, or the side piece, the bombshell.”

“That was an archetype that there was just a lot of when I was that age,” Johansson continued, “It was kind of tricky to navigate around that because there was a lot more that I wanted to do.”