Scarlett Johansson talks about bringing a much-loved anime character to life in the new film Ghost In The Shell
POSSESSING not only a svelte figure but also a sultry persona, she has been named Sexiest Woman Alive plenty of times. Hollywood A-lister Scarlett Johansson is the only female celebrity to be given the title by Esquire magazine twice, in 2006 and 2013.
At the same time, she is no stranger to the action genre, having played the butt-kicking superhero Black Widow in numerous Marvel Comics films. The 32-year-old actress makes her return to the genre in the sci-fi action thriller Ghost In The Shell, which is based on the internationally-acclaimed Japanese manga of the same name. She plays Major Mira Killian, a cyber-enhanced perfect soldier, who was saved from a terrible crash and is now devoted to stopping the world’s most dangerous criminals.
As a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid who leads the elite task force Section 9 against terrorism, the Major discovers that her life was not saved, it was stolen. She wants to find out who was behind this.
Now in cinemas, the film also stars Takeshi Kitano (as Chief Daisuke Aramaki), Michael Pitt (Kuze), Pilou Asbæk (Batou), Chin Han (Togusa) and Juliette Binoche (Dr Ouelet).
The original manga was written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow, and later spawned into a successful media franchise that includes books, films, TV series and video games.
One of the most celebrated adaptations is the 1995 animated film of the same name, which have inspired many Hollywood hits such as The Matrix, Avatar and AI: Artificial Intelligence.
Johansson shares more about the new live-action version, directed by Rupert Sanders.
IT WOULD SEEM THAT MAJOR’S JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY IS A LITTLE LESS ABSTRACT THAN THE MAIN CHARACTER’S IN THE 1995 ANIME MOVIE.
When I first saw the anime film, I think, like you are describing, it was kind of esoteric, existential and free-flowing. It was very poetic and, of course, that applies not just to the words; but the visual journey as well. It didn’t immediately strike me as something that could be adapted for live action.
The visual references are exciting and you can imagine how that’s going to lift off from the anime version, but the character’s journey was not totally apparent to me.
It didn’t seem all that fleshed out, and that was my concern when I first I saw the anime film.
I thought that the physical aspect would be exciting and be a great challenge, but what was I going to do with the character’s journey? For my vanity it was exciting, but other than just making pretty pictures, what was there to hold on to? What could the audience hold on to? I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
IT KEPT GNAWING AWAY AT YOU?
Yes. You have this woman who has an idea of who she is, or whom she is told she is supposed to be. Then there’s this feeling at the back of her mind telling her who she actually is. There is this ghost that literally and spiritually haunts her. I started to play around with that idea. This is going to sound a bit pretentious, but I am going to say it anyway because it helped me to figure it out: there is the id, the super ego and the ego — all three parts make up this one person’s experience. That idea helped me to relate to this seemingly unrelatable experience.
When Rupert (Sanders) and I started talking about it and what a plight that is for someone, it became real. It all started to become real, especially when that was paired with Rupert’s explosive visual references. It was like, “Hmm, I don’t know how I am going to do this thing but I know I can.” The fun part was figuring that out.
PRESUMABLY, HER ORIGINAL MEMORIES START TO SURFACE AS THE FILM DEVELOPS?
That is part of her journey of self-discovery. She has these glitches, which I think Rupert has done a really wonderful job in interpreting. Rather than push them down and suppress them, she becomes curious about them. She begins down this path of pursuing her curiosity and that is what essentially opens up this Pandora’s Box to who she really was.
CAN YOU ELABORATE ON RUPERT’S STRONG VISION FOR THE FILM?
We imagine the future as this dystopian place. Often it is perceived as very clinical and without identity. Then at other times we see it as a post-apocalyptic future. Rupert really loved this idea and what seemed most realistic to him was a future where there is just no space.
We are constantly competing against ourselves for space, so we operate in a city that is almost built on top of another city. And it is full of cultures that have been appropriated by other cultures.
There are renovations that are haphazard and it’s a much more colourful future than we’re used to seeing, or have never really seen before. It’s almost like an updated version of the Blade Runner aesthetic. I was fascinated with that because I assumed that this future would be cold and digital but it’s not at all like that. When you see the film, it’s really warm and inviting. It’s unique and that vision is a real gift that Rupert has.
DID YOU ENJOY PAYING HOMAGE TO THE ANIME FILM? YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF SCENES THAT MIRROR THOSE IN THE 1995 MOVIE.
Yeah. You would walk past the director’s monitor area and sometimes you would see some cross-referencing happening, but that was only with those very particular scenes that Rupert wanted to pay homage to — whether it was that initial dive or the fight in the water.
Some of the frames are lifted right off the anime because they are so iconic and exciting. It was exciting for us to recreate them and also it’ll be really exciting for the audience to see them being realised. Yet, it’s not like we were continually lifting stuff off the comic. It has a healthy homage to the original but it is its own entity outside of that.
DOES THE PERFORMANCE CHANGE FOR YOU AS MAJOR STARTS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHO SHE REALLY IS?
Yes. As she becomes more in touch with who she was, maybe she humanises a bit. You want a bit of an arc also but by the end of the film you still want to see the Major as you know her and have hopefully come to love. It is complicated. It was something that was changing from day to day on set and was growing as we were defining it. That’s the fun part of the job.
YOU HAVE PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE IN ACTION ROLES BUT DID THIS FILM ASK MORE OF YOU THAN HAD BEEN ASKED PREVIOUSLY?
I have been fortunate to have had a lot of fight and weapons training. It really makes a huge difference. I did some mixed martial arts training and sharpened my skills because it is amazing how quickly you lose it. I also did a lot of tactical training, which I had never done before. It’s kind of like working in a team to solve problems. It’s always been something I had an aversion to because it makes me nervous.
DO YOU ENJOY WORKING WITH WEAPONS?
Some things I like more than others. I don’t mind weapons training. I am actually quite good with a firearm surprisingly. It is something I am better at than other things. Actual fighting doesn’t come natural to me. I’m more athletic. I am not a fighter by nature. I do a lot of fighting and inevitably it hurts, and you can hurt the other person. You get nervous about it, you want it to look sharp and great, and you put a lot of effort into it. You want the director to be able to use your performance as much as possible.
It is an adjustment and an interesting part of the job. The choreography is okay but I don’t really like doing wirework. It is all give and take.
HOW INVOLVED WERE YOU WITH WETA IN BUILDING THAT BODYSUIT?
Basically, I turned up and popped it on. It was pretty easy. I did a fitting in New York and a body scan for them six or seven months before we went into physical production. They had been building it all that time and that actually worked in my favour because by the time I got there, the suit was practically finished. I didn’t know how it was going to be but it was not too dissimilar from wearing any other super-suit I’ve had to wear.
The material was unique, almost like silicone, but after the first couple of weeks, it wasn’t so bad. It was pretty easy to wear.
It was actually good to fight in because it provided padding, although you find that the suit is hot when you don’t want it to be hot, and it’s freezing when you are desperate to be warm!
YOU MENTION PADDING. DO YOU SOMETIMES GET HURT WHEN DOING FIGHT SCENES?
Yes. That happens when you are fighting somebody. Obviously, safety is vital and you try to be as careful as you can, but in order to really sell something, it is important that things are done with as much conviction as possible. When you do that, oftentimes you get clipped. It is par for the course.
IN THE ORIGINAL ANIME FILM THERE IS A SENSE OF UNREQUITED LOVE ON BATOU’S PART. IS THAT REFLECTED IN YOUR VERSION?
Yes. We played with that a little bit. It’s a wonderful part of the original anime. It really adds depth and humanity to what could otherwise be perceived as a bit of an inhuman robotic quality. Batou (the second in command in Section 9) is the one person in the Major’s life whose human experience she feels connected to. There is a closeness between them and a sort of longing on Batou’s part that the Major isn’t really prepared for.
THE FILM SEEMS INCREDIBLY TIMELY, NOT JUST WITH THE RISE OF CYBER-TERRORISM BUT ALSO WITH THE DISCONNECT THAT SO MANY PEOPLE FEEL IN THE DIGITAL AGE.
I think it is, certainly when you look at the original anime. It was over 20 years ago but was so progressive. More than anything it predicted this disconnect that is a by-product of the digital age. Cyber-terrorism too is a threat. But it is this longing and yearning to connect with one another in an age when we are overly connected. We are supposed to be so connected to one another yet we have this feeling of emptiness and dissatisfaction.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GHOST IN THE SHELL EVOLVING INTO A POTENTIAL FRANCHISE?
It is daunting because it is not totally obvious what the next chapter is for this character. This film was also extremely draining, physically, emotionally and professionally. It required an immense amount of discipline and thought. It was very, very difficult for me.
But, of course, the idea that this female-driven genre film could be successful enough to demand a sequel, is very exciting. It would be a real victory in many ways. I am up for the challenge. I am a big girl. I can handle it, I think! UIP/Paramount Pictures