Behind the Scenes: The Other Boleyn Girl
A part of the Vogue interview with Scarlett is her admiration toward young actress Natalie Portman. And how did the two hit it off while filming it in England.
I asked her why she chose to play Mary Boleyn, a little-known historical figure who was briefly Henry VIII’s mistress before her more ambitious sister, Anne, supplanted her and became queen (for a thousand days). “I first became involved because Natalie was doing it,” Johansson said. She and Portman had never worked together before, and Johansson said that even before reading the novel or script, she leaped at the chance to make a film with the young actress whom she admired. “She’s a wonderful actor, just a great scene partner,” Johansson said. “I guess I had never really worked with a young woman my age. She’s so professional. And she’s not pretentious or anything, just a really nice girl. It also helped that she’s from New York.”
Portman was just as impressed by Johansson. “The thing about her is she’s an amazing actress. You look at her and instantly believe you are in the place you are; she makes it immediately real,” Portman said. “She’s so supportive and giving and passionate about her work,” she added. “She’s really direct about everything she wants or feels, whereas I am a little more timid.”
The two young actresses hit it off well enough on set to spend much of their time together after work, including late-night clubbing in London’s Soho. “We were allies and coconspirators,” Portman explained. “It’s so rare that we get to work with actresses our own ages. You can relate at a friend level: We’re at the same places in our lives; we were able to talk about boyfriends and go out dancing.”
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