Scarlett Johansson Says She ‘Made Career Out of’ Her Past ‘Embarrassing’ Controversies: ‘I Was Really Off Mark’

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Scarlett Johansson opened up about her past controversies in a recent interview with U.K. magazine The Gentlewoman — admitting that she was once “really off mark.”

The Black Widow star went as far as attributing her success to her flubs, dryly joking that she, “made a career out of” them.

In 2017, Johansson starred in the first live-action, English adaptation of Japanese manga series Ghost in the Shell — launching a discussing about Hollywood’s constant whitewashing of Asian roles.

In response to the scrutiny, Johansson told As If magazine that, “You know, as an actor I should be able to play any person, or any tree, or any animal, because that’s my job and the requirements of my job.”

Johansson later faced intense backlash when she launched a strong defense of Woody Allen, whose daughter Dylan Farrow alleges he molested her when she was only seven years old.

“How do I feel about Woody Allen? I love Woody,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019. “I believe him, and I would work with him anytime. I see Woody whenever I can, and I have had a lot of conversations with him about it. I have been very direct with him, and he’s very direct with me. He maintains his innocence, and I believe him.”

Johnansson also faced intense scrutiny when she was cast as transgender man and mobster Dante “Tex” Gill in since-canceled film Rub & Tug. 

When met with backlash from the trans community, activists, and allies, Johansson dismissively told her critics that they “can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment.”

All three cisgender actors won awards for their portrayals of transgender characters, yet Johansson’s comments got her into deeper trouble, as people noted those roles were cast during a different time in Hollywood, and many labeled the statement as dismissive.

But the Avenger has since repented, owning up to and apologizing for her past “tone deaf” remarks in a November 2019 Vanity Fair profile.

“I wasn’t totally aware of how the trans community felt about those three actors playing—and how they felt in general about cis actors playing—transgender people. I wasn’t aware of that conversation—I was uneducated. So I learned a lot through that process. I misjudged that,” she said, adding, “It was a hard time. It was like a whirlwind. I felt terribly about it. To feel like you’re kind of tone-deaf to something is not a good feeling.”

The star is now revealing just how hard it was for her to admit she was wrong, calling the experiences “embarrassing” while pointing to her insensitivity.

“I mean, everyone has a hard time admitting when they’re wrong about stuff, and for all of that to come out publicly, it can be embarrassing. To have the experience of, Wow, I was really off mark there, or I wasn’t looking at the big picture, or I was inconsiderate.” Johansson said. “I’m also a person.”

“I can be reactive. I can be impatient,” she added. “That doesn’t mix that great with self-awareness.”