To see “The Man Who Whispered in the Ear of Horses”, one might think that this is the first role of its young interpreter Scarlett Johansson. But at only 13 years old, she had already toured a lot!
Among the thousands of pre-adolescent girls received in the casting, Robert Redford chose Scarlett Johansson to give him the reply in The Man Who Whispered in the Ears of Horses (1998). And contrary to popular belief, this is not his first film role!
Although she was only 13 years old, Scarlett Johansson started even earlier than that:
At seven years old, she is already auditioning for commercials. In 1993, she played Off-Broadway in the play sophistry alongside Ethan Hawke, the time for two lines and took acting lessons. At nine, she appeared in her first feature film, The Irresistible North.
The film tells the story of North, 11 years old (Elijah Wood), who decides to leave his parents who ignore him and sets out to find a new family throughout the world. He is taken in by the Nelsons, and the daughter of the family is played by Scarlett. Directed by Rob Reiner, L’Irrésistible North was a critical and public failure.
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After flash appearances in Just Cause with Sean Connery and Laurence Fishburne (which will soon be adapted into a series… with Scarlett!) and an episode of The Client, adapted from John Grisham, the young actress is being spotted by moviegoers with a little independent film: Manny & Lo.
The story is that of a pregnant Lo (Aleksa Palladino), who embarks on a journey with her little sister Manny (Johansson) in order to find a solution. Even if it means kidnapping people to help them. Manny & Lo is the actress’ first headlining film. Directed by Lisa Krueger, it is largely forgotten today and yet deserves (re)discovery.
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A year before The Man Who Whispered in the Horses’ Ear, Scarlett appeared in the comedy Mom, I take care of the bad guys, the third installment in the “I missed the plane” saga. Now 12 years old, she now interprets the big sister of the hero, played by Alex D. Linz.
After the role of an art student in The Girl Opposite and a tiny appearance in Fall, she passed several auditions for Robert Redford’s feature film in which she plays a complex character: a 13-year-old girl with an amputated a leg after an accident that took the life of her best friend and traumatized her horse.
MPP / Bestimage
With Robert Redford
This role will reveal her to the general public and her career will be launched. She will continue with The Barber by the Coen brothers, Ghost World by Terry Zwigoff and forgettable films like Arac Attack or My Brother The Pig until entering the big leagues with Lost in Translation (2004).