Scarlett Johansson has heaped praise on Robert Redford, who passed away earlier this month, aged 89.
Robert Redford inspired Scarlett Johansson to try her hand at directing.
The 40-year-old actress worked with the Hollywood icon – who died earlier this month, aged 89 – on the 1998 Western movie The Horse Whisperer, and Scarlett has revealed that he ultimately influenced her decision to become a director.
She told Extra: “I remember watching Bob choreograph a really complicated scene in the riding arena and he was blocking it out and decide when the camera was gonna go … watching him do that and then have this intimate conversation with me as an actor.
“I just felt like it just seemed like a very interesting job and there was a lot to do. And I like that. I like being busy on set.”
Scarlett recently made her own directorial debut with Eleanor the Great, the drama movie starring June Squibb, and the film star revealed that she loved working with the 95-year-old actress.
Scarlett recalled: “As soon as I saw June’s first take of the first scene we shot, I knew we would work well together.”
Scarlett also observed that they both “work in a very similar way”.
She said: “I knew we would work well together because we have a similar work ethic. We work in a very similar way.”
Meanwhile, Scarlett previously revealed that she found directing to be a “really rewarding” experience.
She told Extra: “I have a different perspective on just the process of, you know, pre-production and then what goes on after we all leave. I think, as an actor, you’re hoping that the director sees kind of what you were doing and follows, you know, pulls the right thread and all of that stuff, but you don’t know.
“You have no, kind of, control over it and now, you know, having experienced the other side of it, it just gives you, I think, an interesting insight into how people, other directors make their choices and the process that they go through to, you know, make it all happen.
“It’s a lot of work, but it can be really rewarding.”
Scarlett premiered her directorial debut at the Cannes Film Festival, and she relished walking the red carpet with the film’s stars.
The movie star – who remains one of the best-paid actresses in Hollywood – said: “Just being able to stand alongside Erin Kellyman and June Squibb after the film premiered and feel the warmth of the audience and the love from the audience for the film and for the incredible performances in it, it was such a moving moment.”
Scarlett Johansson recalls feeling inspired by Robert Redford
