Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Celebrity News

    Scarlett Johansson 'too sexy' for her work?

    Avengers star Scarlett Johansson has said that she thinks her good looks have been holding her back and stop her getting offered meatier roles

    By Helen Russell
    Published 13 July 2012 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Robert Pattinson to star with Scarlett Johanson?
    Robert Pattinson to star with Scarlett Johanson?
    (Image credit: Rex Features)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Avengers star Scarlett Johansson has said that she thinks her good looks have been holding her back and stop her getting offered meatier roles

    Avengers star Scarlett Johansson has said that she thinks her good looks have been holding her back and stop her getting offered meatier roles.

    Scarlett Johansson says she regularly misses out on parts because movie execs think of her as 'too sexy'.

    THE AVENGERS LA PREMIERE PICS

    Talking about her experiences of getting turned down for work, red hot Scarlett revealed: 'That has happened to me before, yeah. That’s always an unfortunate thing to figure out. “Why can’t you see?!” For me, I would imagine casting someone, you would want to challenge yourself in some way.'

    You may like
    • Anne Hathaway attends the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2 Anne Hathaway Has Spoken Out About Her 10-Year Health Battle
    • Andy Burnham and Marie-France van Heel entering 10 Downing Street “Are We Just Jealous?” Victoria Moss Unpacks the Sexist, Ageist Commentary Around Marie-France van Heel’s Victoria Beckham Dress
    • Alisha Boe "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It": Actor Alisha Boe on Why She'll Never Give Up Her Signature Scent

    SCARLETT JOHANSSON STYLE HIGHS AND LOWS

    'It is so interesting to see actors transform. There are certainly plenty of times when I am definitely not sexy.'

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    The one director the actress credits with being able to look past her looks is Almost Famous director Cameron Crowe, who cast her as a girl-next-door zookeeper in We Bought A Zoo.

    'It was amazing to be able to work with him... You’re thinking outside the box. You’re trying everything a million different ways; you’re discussing the depths of the character that you see that you want to develop. To finally be able to do that over months and build a character with him was great. It was a beautiful thing.'

    Watch Scarlet Johansson working the red carpet at the Met Ball below...

    What to read next
    • Ella Bright Off Campus How Ella Bright’s Character in Off Campus Proves Boobs Don’t Have to Be the Main Focus—For Once
    • Olivia Rodrigo performing on stage in a babydoll dress that sparked online debate, later prompting the singer to speak out about the sexualisation of girlhood and double standards facing young women. “We Really Normalise Pedophilia in Our Culture”: What Olivia Rodrigo's Babydoll Dress Backlash Reveals About Girlhood
    • AI Edited My Face Without Asking: Side by side comparison of my face before and after inputting into AI I Asked AI to Add a Dog to My Photo. What It Did to My Face Left Me Unsettled

    Scarlett Johansson was speaking out ahead of the release of We Bought a Zoo on Blu-ray Triple Play and DVD on 16th July.

    WATCH: WE BOUGHT A ZOO TRAILER

    The star's comments come just two months after journalist Samantha Brick caused a media storm over claims she was too good looking to be taken seriously at work.

    So can your looks affect your career prospects? Is Scarlett Johansson too sexy for her job? Or have we got Brick-gate mark two on on our hands? Let us know your view in the box below or Tweet us @MarieClaireUK #toosexy

    THE AVENGERS MOVIE PICS

    MORE CELEBRITY NEWS

    Helen Russell
    Social Links Navigation
    Read more
    Anne Hathaway attends the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2
    Celebrity News Anne Hathaway Has Spoken Out About Her 10-Year Health Battle
    Andy Burnham and Marie-France van Heel entering 10 Downing Street
    Fashion “Are We Just Jealous?” Victoria Moss Unpacks the Sexist, Ageist Commentary Around Marie-France van Heel’s Victoria Beckham Dress
     
     
    Alisha Boe
    Fragrance "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It": Actor Alisha Boe on Why She'll Never Give Up Her Signature Scent
    Ella Bright Off Campus
    Fashion How Ella Bright’s Character in Off Campus Proves Boobs Don’t Have to Be the Main Focus—For Once
     
     
    Latest in Celebrity News
    Olivia Rodrigo performing on stage in a babydoll dress that sparked online debate, later prompting the singer to speak out about the sexualisation of girlhood and double standards facing young women.
    Celebrity News “We Really Normalise Pedophilia in Our Culture”: What Olivia Rodrigo's Babydoll Dress Backlash Reveals About Girlhood
    Meghan Markle in 'With Love, Meghan'
    Celebrity News Meghan Markle’s Sweet Glimpse Into Sussex Family Life Is Going Viral
     
     
    Anne Hathaway attends the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2
    Celebrity News Anne Hathaway Has Spoken Out About Her 10-Year Health Battle
    The Prince and Princess of Wales visit the Isles of Mull and Iona
    Royal News Royal Experts Predict a Major Milestone From Princess Kate This Autumn
     
     
    Latest in News
    Kinda Chic Trend
    Shopping Is "Kinda Chic" Kinda Cringe? Everyone's Favourite Fashion Word Just Went Completely Out of Fashion
    Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: The Foundation Using Exosome Technology, the Treatment That Transformed My Skin Texture—Plus, the Ever-Earlier Advent Calendar Race
     
     
    Kaia Gerber
    Shopping Everything Kaia Gerber Wears Is a Masterclass in Minimalism—These Are the Pieces and Brands She Always Goes Back to
    Copenhagen Fashion Week street style
    Shopping Kitten-Heel Sandals, Lace Dresses and the Season's New Favourite Shade of Blue— These are the Copenhagen Fashion Week Street Style Trends to Note
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.