Scarlett Johansson on Developing Her Accent for ‘Paper Tiger’

Scarlett Johansson on Paper Tiger

Scarlett Johansson revisits an old TODAY weather segment and jokes that she might have become a “weather girl” in another life.

The interview turns to Paper Tiger, a New York crime thriller in which Johansson plays a mother whose family gets caught up with the Russian mafia. She praises director James Gray’s distinctive style and describes the film as a tense, edge-of-your-seat story about family loyalty and unconditional love.

Johansson says she drew on the way her mother and grandmother speak to develop her character’s Bronx- and Brooklyn-influenced accent. Gray reportedly felt that, at times, she made the accent so specific that it pulled focus. A montage of Johansson’s past accents prompts her to joke that accent coaches watching must be judging her.

She also shares that she missed Gray’s call after the film received a seven-minute ovation at Cannes because she was at her daughter’s dance recital.

Other Projects and Anecdotes

Johansson briefly previews Ray Gunn, an animated film with a noir, suspenseful atmosphere and more mature themes. She says she sings in it.

The hosts also tease her about the out-of-service Staten Island Ferry associated with her husband, Colin Jost, and Pete Davidson. They joke that the expensive docking fees mean the ferry could use some money.

Weather Forecast

To celebrate Johansson’s fifth time giving a forecast on the show, Al Roker presents her with a special weather robe. She delivers a deliberately vague forecast—lots of rain, some sun and clouds, and warm weather in Florida—earning laughs and praise for her “best fifth prediction.”

Personalities

• Scarlett Johansson
• Al Roker
• The TODAY hosts
• Colin Jost and Pete Davidson, mentioned in the ferry discussion