"This Movie Star Tours A $8 Million 5-bedroom Condo In A Luxurious Residential Area". How
many of you have ever casually considered purchasing an $8 million condo? Yet, for Scarlett
Johansson, it is just another day. Spending a million or ten on multiple homes is a no-brainer,
a fleeting thought to the world’s highest-paid actress. After all, in her 25 years in the
movie-making business, Johansson has amassed an eye-watering net worth of $165 million.
Today, her name is so huge, the studios are willing to pay her $17.5 million for a movie
that is destined to flop (this exact thing happened to the controversial Ghost In The
Shell). So today on RumourJuice, we will look into
how Scarlett Johansson earns her money and what she chooses to do with her huge fortune.
You’d be surprised to learn that sometimes, she stops herself from going on a spending
spree... and sometimes, she can be frugal, too!
Subscribe to RumourJuice YouTube channel - and let’s start!
Can you say you were sure of your future as a tiny kid? Scarlett Johansson can. She probably
couldn’t have predicted that by 2020, her movies will have grossed close to $14.5 billion
worldwide, and $5.2 billion in North America.
But Scarlett knew she would make it big as a performer since her early childhood.
The little girl would often entertain her family with song-and-dance routines. When
Scarlett was 7, a talent agent signed one of her brothers instead of her, but that didn’t
make her abandon her dream. Luckily, her parents were very supportive of her aspirations.
“I always had the chance to do whatever I wanted to do, my parents were very open
about that. Acting has been a passion of mine. I wanted to be in musicals as a kid, and took
tap dance, so for me it's a dream come true, my childhood was filled with things that I
loved to do,” the actress recalls. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all fun and games.
Johansson’s parents separated when she was 13 - their marriage was already crumbling
by the time Scarlett and her twin brother Hunter came along. In a 2017 interview, Scarlett
detailed how traumatic her life sometimes got as she was growing up. “We were living
on welfare, we were on food stamps. My parents were raising four kids in a low-income household
in Manhattan. So, it was a lot,” she said. Despite all these shortcomings, Scarlett was
able to pursue her movie career. She was adamant about not delving into a commercial world;
she just wasn’t interested in (quote) “promoting Wonder Bread”. The determined girl made
her film debut at the age of 9. Johansson remembers how she immediately felt at home
and knew intuitively what to do on the set of her first movie, the fantasy comedy North.
The money, that started flowing in, caused a brief clash with Scarlett’s mother, Melanie.
For the longest time, Melanie worked as Scarlett’s manager. Initially, their mother-daughter
slash actress-manager relationship was great. Prior to their falling out, the actress expressed
hope they wouldn’t have that horrible experience of other families where parents managed their
kids. “They end up suing or being emancipated. The wonderful thing about my mom is that she
completely respects my creative weirdness and supports any decision I make,” Scarlett
said. In 2009, however, her outlook changed: she felt the need to (quote) “cut the cord”.
Left to her own devices, Melanie started experiencing financial troubles. For instance, she wasn’t
able to afford a $1.4 million Manhattan apartment that she had already signed a contract and
paid the deposit for. After Scarlett already fired her, Melanie tried to find out if she’d
be receiving any residual payments from her daughter’s endorsement deals.
Well, it seems that today, Scarlett’s relationship with her Mom has improved.
Scarlett’s position in Hollywood has improved, too. She was just 17 years old when she appeared
in the 2003 movie, Lost in Translation; her outstanding performance helped the movie make
$119 million at the box office against its $4 million budget. However, Johansson didn’t
become a household name prior to appearing as Black Widow in the famed Marvel superhero
movies. She received a modest $400,000 for appearing in Iron Man 2 in 2010. For the next
couple of Avengers-themed films, Scarlett continued to receive low single-digit millions.
It took six Marvel appearances before she finally earned a rumoured $20 million for
the upcoming standalone Black Widow movie. The number is likely to balloon further if
the film performs well at the box office.
But did you know that Black Widow almost didn’t happen in Scarlett Johansson’s life? That’s
right, she wasn’t the first choice to play the character. Emily Blunt was considered
for the role in Iron Man 2. So when Scarlett received the “you-didn’t-get-the-part”
call, she got understandably disappointed… “And then that was it. You know, life went
on. I mean, I’ve certainly had enough experience of rejection.”
The actress was looking for another movie deal when she received another call. Blunt
wasn’t available for the part. Thus, Johansson’s Black Widow was born, and Scarlett Johansson
became one of the best-paid and recognized actors in the world.
Even her worst reviewed movies perform successfully at the box office. The sci-fi action flick
Lucy cost $40 million to make - and, despite lackluster critical reviews, it earned over
$463 million. Ghost in the Shell was surrounded by controversy even before its release, due
to accusations of racism and whitewashing. Still, Scarlett Johansson’s name helped
the movie gross $169.8 million worldwide against its $110 million budget. The actress took
home $17.5 million as a salary.
Also, as a public figure, Johansson is often hired by famous brands as an endorser. She
has appeared in ad campaigns for Calvin Klein (reportedly earning a sweet $1 million per
year), L'Oréal (with a $3 million as annual salary), Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, and
Mango. No doubt she receives hefty cash bonuses for her involvement, but sometimes, Johansson
has her doubts. “It's so shocking when you hear that Calvin Klein wants you for their
new campaign. You're like "who me?". I guess you have to decide where you draw the line
between you saying, this is fun, pretty and fabulous, and being over-exposed.”
Perhaps she feels safer from being over-exposed in one of her luxurious houses. In 2014, Scarlett
acquired a marvelous $2.2 million Hamptons mansion. The 3,500-sq-ft abode had fireplaces,
outdoor decks, and a pool. No doubt, Scarlett enjoyed spending her last days of pregnancy
there, as she was pregnant with her daughter Rose at the time.
Four years later, the actress scooped a gorgeous $4 million house in Rockland County, New York.
The architect who designed the home also designed the Oval Office in the White House!
The actress also owns a three-bedroom flat in Lisbon, Portugal's city of seven hills.
According to local estate agents, the purchase couldn’t have been made for less than €1.5
million.
As an actress, Scarlett knows how important it is to look her best. Want some tips on
how to look like Scarlett Johansson? Well, be ready to pay at least $400 for a haircut
- that’s how much her celebrity stylist used to charge. For your skincare routine,
mix a $335 moisturising soft cream with a few drops of $130 face oil. But don’t despair
yet: Recently, Johansson made headlines for spending just $31 on beauty products that
helped her look magnificent at this year’s Golden Globes. And she did glow at the red
carpet event! Certainly, her fiance, Saturday Night Live co-head writer Colin Jost was right
by her side too, which only enhanced Scarlett’s glow. Or maybe those were the sparks from
the engagement ring he gave her, you know, the $450,000 11-carat diamond ring. Because
when you are with Scarlett Johansson, all you can do is ensure that she only owns the
best stuff in the world.
If you think that all that money changed Scarlett’s personality… think again. Yes, she can easily
afford owning a private jet, but we still have an opportunity to catch a glimpse of
the actress on a commercial flight. And just like everyone else, Johansson is prone to
finding herself in extremely embarrassing situations while onboard. As she revealed
on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, she had once unintentionally exposed herself to a random passenger in the
plane’s bathroom. “... I guess I didn't lock the door. ... I
thought I did. I went to grab the toilet paper and my [private parts were] splayed out. The
guy opens the door, he looks down, and he's like, 'Uh… oh! Oh!' I was like, 'Close the
goddamn door!' Walking back to her seat while the entire
cabin of people watched was equally as embarrassing. It’s good to see the glitz and glamour of
Hollywood life didn’t make Scarlett lose her sense of self-irony.
Scarlett Johansson is living everyone’s dream life. She gets paid for doing what she
loves! But her impressive fortune didn’t appear magically overnight. “I worked really
hard for a really long time. So maybe this is the result of that,” the actress says.
When Vanity Fair asked her how it feels to be constantly referred to as “the world’s
highest-paid actress,” Scarlett remarked that the title sounded pretty unbelievable
to her. And yet, she admitted that her status is a great thing, and a big luxury, too.
“It … affords me the ability to not feel like I have to work all the time. [...] Not
to take a job just because I need to support myself, which basically every single person
in most every industry has to do.” And Johansson knows first-hand what it feels
like, to take up a job just because it pays the bills.
And which Scarlett Johansson movie is your favourite?