An article in today’s Los Angeles Times gives actress Scarlett Johansson’s take on the paparazzi:
“I get stalked by these people with giant cameras all the time when I’m doing my shopping or walking my dog,” she said. “I think it’s disgusting. Any picture you see of me in a magazine that is a candid is a complete and total invasion of my privacy.” Oy, thank God I resisted the temptation to take more pictures of her when she was in our house last month shooting “The Prestige.” And that the only photo I posted was of her back. I was standing right next to her in the catering tent while she was eating lunch and I had a brief moment where I considered snapping a photo with my cell phone. I’m grateful that human decency won out and I hereby put an end to my ten-minute career as a paparazzo.
Scarlett was in the news today in anticipation of designer Isaac Mizrahi’s stint as a red-carpet interviewer at the Oscars this Sunday. Apparently he caused quite a stir at the Golden Globes last month when he fondled Johansson’s breast. Mizrahi had asked the actress what she was wearing underneath her red dress. When she replied, “Not much,” Mizrahi cupped the star's breast in one hand and said, “It’s built in, I just wanna feel it. Oh, I just love that!” Yuck. Scarlett told the L.A. Times that she was more shocked than angry. “It was definitely in poor taste. I’d been prepping for two hours with hair and makeup and getting dressed. And the first interview I do, someone who I have never met before fondles me for his own satisfaction.” Mizrahi’s defenders point out that he is openly gay, as if that makes it okay. What’s next—Ellen DeGeneres interviewing George Clooney on the red carpet and grabbing his crotch? Am I becoming a prude? Losing my sense of humor? I just feel bad for these talented actresses who are constantly being defined by their physical attributes instead of their ability. And I’m still smarting from last year’s Oscars telecast in which Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz, and Catherine Zeta-Jones were joked about in a way that only called attention to their racks.
Speaking of the Oscars, I remember being stunned when Oscar winner Adrien Brody bounded up to the stage to get his award and grabbed presenter Halle Berry into a deep, full-body kiss. She obviously made the right career choice to “go with it,” but wouldn’t she or Scarlett have been completely justified if they had slapped the living daylights out of their partners for their non-consensual moves? (They’ve been showing that Brody/Berry kiss a lot in the ads leading up to the Oscars and I will say that it was one hot smooch. At least professional actors can make such groping look more attractive.) Brody claimed he was just so excited he would have kissed anybody that way. Really? Even if Mel Gibson had been the presenter?
Scarlett turned beet red after Mizrahi’s ballsy move at the Golden Globes (this was after he asked Eva Longoria about her pubic hair and peered down Teri Hatcher’s dress). “Mostly, I was thinking, ‘Oh, my God. This is happening on live TV,”’ Johansson said, and she didn’t buy the designer’s explanation that he was trying to figure out how her dress was put together. “Like he doesn’t know how a dress works!”
I guess there’s no end to the indignities that actresses have to face, even in 2006. Just after the Golden Globes, Scarlett’s co-star from “Match Point,” Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, told a reporter that Johansson was very bashful during their sex scenes together. “I remember Scarlett telling me not to look at her tits,” Rhys-Meyers said. “But I did sneak a peek. I couldn’t help it, they were in my face.” And here I am repeating such eloquence. But as God as my witness, as of this moment, I declare a moratorium on any comments related to the body parts of talented actresses. (Oy, does that mean it’s okay to harass actresses if they’re not talented?)
For those who say that becoming an actor means giving up your right to privacy, Johansson begs to differ. She told the Times that she tries to maintain a low profile. Why shouldn’t she be allowed to do that? “I’m not out there to publicize my private life,” she said. “I try to avoid any situation where I might be harassed or followed.” True, Johansson appears nude on the cover of this month’s Vanity Fair by her own choice, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to grope her, does it? People who made reference to the Vanity Fair cover during the Mizrahi flap remind me of those lawyers who used to tell victims of sexual abuse that they “asked for it” by wearing suggestive clothing.
Scarlett Johansson isn’t attending the Oscars this year so there will be no repeat of her Mizrahi encounter. But she doesn't plan on avoiding him in the future. “I can take care of myself,” she said. “I’m from New York.”
**mournfully deletes half-written post called "Scarlett Johansson's Breasts and Why I Love Them"**
Posted by: The Retropolitan | March 03, 2006 at 04:12 PM
Well, I guess I can't talk to you anymore as I am incapable of having a conversation longer than 3 sentences that doesn't include talk of bosoms. ........**mournfully wishing The Retropolitan would finish his half written post.**
Posted by: your sister | March 03, 2006 at 06:12 PM
Oh damn, you're both right—as long as we do it with love, what could be wrong? Next time Scarlett is over I'll ask her to read the Retropolitan's ode to her fabulous orbs. But I still hope if Mizrahi finds a new victim at the Oscars this Sunday that he is beaten upside the head with the buxom star's Oscar de la Renta sequined clutch.
Posted by: Danny | March 03, 2006 at 06:47 PM
Please don't ever say orbs again.
Posted by: your sister | March 03, 2006 at 07:37 PM
Danny, stop being so naive! This sort of assault on women has been happening since the first man decided he'd been created first. I think it's much less about invasion of privacy and much more about sexual politics.
Posted by: Adriana Bliss | March 03, 2006 at 08:39 PM
Whether it's naive to be offended by the antics of people like Mizrahi and Brody or not, they're still offensive.
Whether they exemplify sexual politics or invasion of privacy, their acts shouldn't be countenanced.
I would have loved it if Berry had given Brody a smackdown. The same if Johansson had decked Mizrahi.
It all boils down to one thing: respect. Female performers and all of America should demand it.
Mark Daniels
Posted by: Mark Daniels | March 03, 2006 at 09:26 PM
Don't get me wrong, Mark, I'm not suggesting at all that we should NOT be offended at the treatment of these women - quite the opposite - the awards shows are but the tip of the iceberg. We should also be offended at the VF cover that didn't portray the designer in the nude because according to VF, women are a bunch of frigid, uninterested, housewives who don't like to see men in the nude. Or was that just a ruse, the real motivation behind the one-sided cover being to show how women are to be appreciated ONLY for their physical attributes, as Danny suggests.
Fascinating...this modern, advanced culture of ours!
Posted by: Adriana Bliss | March 03, 2006 at 09:55 PM
It's too bad Scarlett didn't smack Isaac. It's no different than people touching pregnant bellies...just because they happen to be "sticking out", doesn't give people the right to touch. I'm sure Scarlett was in shock and wasn't quite sure how to respond. (trying to remain "red-carpet" dignified, you know, like Joan and Melissa always are...lol). And you're right, just because someone is gay, doesn't give them the right to playfully poke at the opposite sex. On the other hand, it is difficult to know where else to look when one is wearing a dress like that!
Posted by: Randi(cruisin-mom) | March 04, 2006 at 07:42 AM
What is laughable is that in the various "defences" of Mizrahi's behavior, from Mizrahi's people, it has been reiterated that he's gay, and the last person to be "homophobic," apparently not realizing there is a difference between homophobia and misogyny.
Posted by: Lisa | March 06, 2006 at 05:43 AM
The look on Ryan Seacrests face pretty much summed it up. I am surprised Issac was allowed back to do the Oscar coverage.
On a totally random sidenote, I just showed your house/movie set pics to a friend of mine and found out someone I know was a "piano player in a bar" in that movie. Six degrees of weirdness, I am going to ask Tim if he was actually at your house, I am betting yes lol.
Posted by: Wendy Wings | March 06, 2006 at 09:20 PM
And here I thought I'd scored at Target buying a great suede jacket for 26 bucks. Never again, Mizrachi.
Posted by: Linda Freedman | November 06, 2006 at 09:07 PM
Scarlett should have slapped the guy in the face... that's the only way to get the message to such creeps!
Posted by: Larry from Rantoul | April 24, 2007 at 06:15 AM
Scarlett is my new favorite female actress. Melanie Griffith will be ticked when she finds out, but she will just have to deal with it. :)
Posted by: David | October 01, 2007 at 02:29 PM