Scarlett Johansson covers V Mag as Janet Leigh: gutsy as hell or ridiculous?

Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson covers the winter 2012 (“Girl Power”) issue of V Magazine, and she’s obviously promoting her role as Janet Leigh in Hitchcock, so photographer Jean Paul Goude has dutifully recreated the Psycho shower scene in tribute. I love how the shower curtain is drawn in the “V” shape, and yes, Scarlett looks a bit ridiculous, but that’s sort of the point here. She’s going balls-out campy for this role because as the trailer indicates, Hitchcock isn’t a scary movie but a funny one, and the infamous Psycho shower scene is played for laughs as well. More and more, I am convinced that Scarlett was absolutely the right actress to play Janet Leigh in this “making of” take on Hitchcock’s life while filming Psycho, but Scar certainly could have used some voice lessons. Her voice is as inexplicably unchanging as her penchant for awful tattoos, but maybe her voice is part of the joke too.

Throughout her career, Scarlett has often been criticized for a lack of range, but she’s grown much more comfortable and has branched out quite a bit in her abilities. She’s also taken some risks and made some smart moves in the past few years, especially after accepting a low-balled salary to play Black Widow in Iron Man 2, thereby locking herself into The Avengers franchise. She’ll also head back to Broadway soon to star (as Maggie) in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Odd how we’ve already forgotten that Scarlett is a Tony award-winning actress (for A View from a Bridge), right? Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

On shooting the shower scene: “We only had the luxury to shoot the scene for a day, and everybody was feeling very nervous because it involved water and nobody wants the actor to get wet. They were concerned with modesty and all these things — but I don’t care about any of that stuff and Janet Leigh never did either.

“You have got to be brave, get into the shower, and face Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock jabbing you in the face with a 12-inch kitchen knife. As much as Anthony Hopkins is a pussycat, he’s terrifying. Maybe I watched Silence of the Lambs too much many times when I was a kid. Maybe I was having some flashbacks. So I didn’t need to much preparation for the scene.”

[From V Magazine]

I would think it would be awful to try and “act” while showering, but then again, I’m an awful mess in the shower as it is. Usually, half the bottle of shampoo ends up in my eyes, so yeah, forget pointing a camera at me without getting a big middle finger in the process. This magazine cover is intriguing though, and I like that Scarlett’s crooked bottom teeth are showing. The photoshop artists didn’t attack her either. That’s kind of refreshing.

Scarlett Johansson

Photos courtesy of V Magazine

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44 Responses to “Scarlett Johansson covers V Mag as Janet Leigh: gutsy as hell or ridiculous?”

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  1. EBitch says:

    Cross eyed and ridiculous.

  2. Alan says:

    ‘crooked bottom teeth’ ..how important for americans to notice. -.-

  3. Ms Goblin says:

    As a former, union-card carrying actor, my opinion is she got that Tony by bringing an onslaught of publicity to Broadway, rather than for the acting tools in her toolbox.

    Most exceptional actors spend years honing their craft in live theatre. She didn’t.

  4. Ms Goblin says:

    Additionally, I would never recognize the photo as ScarJo….

    • NerdMomma says:

      I agree, I kept looking back at it and it just doesn’t look like her at all. Kinda weird.

  5. redd says:

    They didn’t shop her crooked lower teeth because they form a “V” shape too!

  6. Christina says:

    ”Throughout her career, Scarlett has often been criticized for a lack of range,”

    Well, not exactly.

    She’s been criticised for being a crap actress, ‘range’ or no range.

    • Cazzie says:

      Maybe as the men who have been casting her start to finish up their mid-life crises, they can start hiring actresses who actually, you know, act.

  7. Helvetica says:

    I see her nipple on the left!

    This pic is nice. Doesn’t look like her though.

    And I imagine watching Silence of the Lambs would scare anyone when having to film a scene like that with Hopkins!

  8. kaligula says:

    “Girl Power” issue??? With a cover image that evokes a scene when a woman is screaming in terror & about to be murdered? These people are not culture makers, these people are liars and charlatans.

  9. Stubbylove says:

    I think the cover is great.

  10. MonicaQ says:

    I like it. Then again, I like her and I am a comic book junkie so there’s that. I liked her Black Widow portrayal a fair bit.

  11. Gine says:

    Eh, I actually like it. It’s different, and she looks like she had fun doing it. At least she has an actual expression on her face instead of the dead-eyed, “sexy” stare most photographers make actresses do.

    • j.eyre says:

      I agree with what you have said. I like the photo, I like her stepping outside her comfort for it and I like the extreme expression. I also love the sheet of water above her head – really interesting photo.

  12. Joy says:

    Am I the only one who thinks the cover looks NOTHING like ScarJo?

    • Megalicious says:

      No I agree I would never have guessed it was her if noone told me. Her top lip looks too thin and her nose a different shape. Perhaps it’s just the face she’s pulling!

  13. Beatrice Sparkplug says:

    Excellent photos. Seriously. Looks fun too.

  14. Nancy says:

    i love her! bought my ticket for her broadway show!

  15. dahlianoir says:

    Try to kill this one, Norman Bates !

  16. Ari says:

    I watched “The Girl” on HBO with Sienna Miller and she was AMAZING as Tippi Hedren like really really good…I only hope Scarlett is half as good as her (playing another Hitchcock girl) because I never knew Sienna had such good acting skills lol

  17. Kosmos says:

    I’m not sure why, but she has never been one of my favorites as far as female actresses. There are many more I would pick over her for some reason.

  18. darth says:

    She’s too much of a try-hard. Really don’t like her.

  19. miss.h says:

    I love it! Sure it’s technically not empowering to women to be celebrating a shower scene where a woman is stabbed…BUT can I say how refreshing it is not to see the usual over-processed, uber photoshopped, super hot mess of make up and ‘fashion’ that normally features on these covers…finally a break away from those stereotypical covergirl images, kudos to Scarlet for having the balls to maybe not be so pretty but do something different. 🙂

  20. A says:

    I love it…it’s different, not overly airbrushed, and it’s fun.

  21. melissa says:

    man, so much hate. shes had some amazing movies, has a voice that is unmistakeable (like it or not) and shes got a cool sense of humor and laid back vibe. This cover is awesome, the photog recreated the scene, but she had fun with it. ALSO she does not look scared, or terrified, she looks like what it is, posing and having some fun with it. there are all kinds of women in the world. dont hate coz shes not what YOU think she should be.

  22. Amy says:

    If you and the magazine cover didn’t tell me who it was, I never would’ve have even guessed that that’s a photo of Scarlett Johansson. I probably would’ve guessed a blonde Olivia Wilde.

  23. B says:

    Lame. I really don’t care for her and would have much rather seen someone else in this role. I don’t think that she’s a good actress at all. She’s extremely wooden and seems the same in every movie.

  24. Backstage Bitchy says:

    She doesn’t look anything like herself, but she looks a LOT like Janet Leigh. Pretty cool cover of someone I generally can’t stand…

  25. Kristen says:

    I would’ve sworn the cover was Elizabeth Olsen.

  26. muppet_barbershop says:

    I like the cover but I do not at all understand why they would use anything about the Psycho shower scene with the concept of “girl power.” The scene itself is profoundly unempowered.