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Scarlett Johannson opens up about her experience being directed by the late Robert Redford at a young age: "It was transformative for me."
On the set of The Horse Whisperer, Robert Redford opened young ScarJo's eyes to how big the world of acting could become.
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With the passing of Robert Redford, Hollywood has lost one of its most iconic figures. Not only did his acting inspire people, but he also helped foster multiple generations of talent in the movie industry. One of the biggest stars of today, Scarlett Johansson, has shared exactly how Robert Redford inspired her when he directed her in 1998’s The Horse Whisperer.
During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Scarlett Johansson mused on the experience of being directed by Robert Redford when she was 12 years old. Along with revealing her nickname for Robert Redford (Booey) on set, she said, “He was such a warm, kind, patient, generous, wonderful man. And he would take so much time with me every day. He was the director, so I got to work with him as an actor, which was, you know, extraordinary, and he was so warm, and we had a very special relationship in the film, the characters do. He really actually therapizes my character, and he, in real life, had that type of persona. Just so calm and kind and patient.”
In his role as director, Redford took a lot of time each day to help young Scarlett Johansson with her role. “He would talk me through the scene. Every scene that we would do, he would talk me through where my character had been through up until that point, and it was like he had all the time to do that. It was transformative for me. I had a complete understanding of, ‘Oh, this is actually a craft and something you get better at and understand more the more you put into it.’ That was all because of Bob – Mr. Redford/Booey. Wonderful man.”
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