5 Blockbuster Roles Scarlett Johansson Turned Down

Scarlett Johansson has one of those careers that looks clean and inevitable from the outside, but that is very much not how it felt coming up. She has said the quiet part out loud more than once: a lot of roles were almosts, and a lot were flat-out no.

'Since a very young age, I've been rejected constantly.'

That was Scarlett to Parade, and it tracks. She also walked away from a handful of parts that could have steered her filmography in a different direction. Fun wrinkle: I was told there were six of these, but the trail leads to five big ones. Here they are, with the context that actually makes them interesting.

• Elizabethtown (2005) — Cameron Crowe considered Johansson early on for Claire, the relentlessly sunny flight attendant who helps Orlando Bloom's character pull out of a tailspin. Years later she said she read for it, but it's murky whether she passed or lost out late to Kirsten Dunst, whose lighter touch fit what Crowe wanted. Either way, it was a near-miss that nudged her elsewhere. The movie didn't land with critics (27% on Rotten Tomatoes) but has an audience following (66%), and it made $52.2M on a $45M budget. Directed by Cameron Crowe; starring Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Alec Baldwin, Jessica Biel. Postscript: Bloom and Dunst's oddball chemistry helped the film grow a small cult over time.

• Mission: Impossible III (2006) — This one was real, not rumor. Johansson was hired as Lindsay Farris, trained up, rehearsed extensively with Tom Cruise, and by her own account enjoyed the collaboration. Then 'contractual differences' forced her out. She even said she visited a Scientology center with Cruise because she likes to understand what drives her co-stars. Keri Russell stepped in, some pieces of the movie shifted, and we all got the version we know. Critics were into it (73% on Rotten Tomatoes), and it pulled in about $398.5M worldwide. Directed by J.J. Abrams; starring Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Monaghan.

• Superman Returns (2006) — Before Bryan Singer's take, the new Superman went through multiple incarnations under McG and J.J. Abrams. In those earlier phases, Johansson was in the Lois Lane mix and reportedly a frontrunner at one point. Then the usual development churn hit: schedules, scripts, directors, studio marching orders. Kate Bosworth ultimately got the role opposite Brandon Routh. The finished film sits at 72% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes and reportedly did $391.1M at the box office. Directed by Bryan Singer; starring Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Frank Langella. Irony alert: skipping Lois left her wide open for Marvel's Black Widow a few years later, which changed the superhero landscape far more than this reboot ever did.

• My Week With Marilyn (2011) — The studio wanted Johansson to play Marilyn Monroe opposite the ensemble that eventually included Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, and Kenneth Branagh. Scarlett just didn't want it. Her take was essentially: fascinating role, big icon, not for me. Williams took it, earned an Oscar nomination, and the film's gentle, reverent look at Monroe's inner life became the headline. Critics: 82% on Rotten Tomatoes; box office around $35M. Directed by Simon Curtis.

• The Great Gatsby (2013) — Baz Luhrmann nearly paired Johansson with Leonardo DiCaprio as Daisy Buchanan. Timing killed it. She had a scheduling lock with 'We Bought a Zoo' alongside Matt Damon, so Daisy went to Carey Mulligan. Gatsby split critics (48% on Rotten Tomatoes) but dazzled its way to $353.6M worldwide. Directed by Baz Luhrmann; starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire. Given Johansson's musical side and Luhrmann's maximalist soundtrack, you can imagine the alternate-universe version where she even contributes a song.

Zooming out: would she have been a killer Daisy? Yeah. Could she have put a new spin on Lois Lane? Quite possibly. But would I trade Black Widow, 'Under the Skin', or the run she's had with directors like Jonathan Glazer for any of those? Hard pass.

And because she apparently doesn't sleep: Johansson just directed for the first time with 'Eleanor the Great', led by the great June Squibb and slated for fall 2025. She's also starring as Esther Graff in James Gray's 'Paper Tiger' (likely out next year), set to headline Mike Flanagan's new 'Exorcist' movie, and there are already whispers she could pop up around 'The Batman Part II'.

The longer you look at her career, the clearer it is that the roles you skip matter just as much as the ones you take.