The Scarlett woman

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Scarlett Johansson has spent much of her career playing the quirky indie-kid. So die-hard Johansson fans might be surprised to see her in Michael Bay's futuristic thriller about rebel clones, The Island. Here, the 20-year-old, husky-voiced young actress chats about her new film, working with Ewan McGregor and her hopes for the future

After the recent spate of bombings throughout the capital, do you worry about being in London?

Absolutely not. London is a lovely place to be, and it's as safe as any, the show must go on. I was in the States when 9/11 happened, and the unity that people had was amazing at the time. It's the same in London; you know that threat is everywhere you go, so it's important not to let it change your life. Everything will be okay.

Who's the person in your life that you turn to for advice?

My mother. My mom has seen every single movie ever made. Ever. She's a library of film. I trust her. And she trusts me. So that really makes for a nice professional relationship, and personal relationship. She wants me to do what makes me happy, and that's all I could ask for.

The Island is quite an action flick. Did you know what you were letting yourself in for?

When I got the script, it was just fantastic. It was exciting, it was adventurous and it was fun. Of course, when you're reading a script and it says, 'slides down a drainpipe', you don't ever actually think that's really going to happen. And then 7:30 the next morning, Michael Bay says, slide down this drainpipe... and then we'll do it from another angle... and again! So it was a lot of work.

Did you have any dangerous moments during filming?

I had a permanently blue knee which was pretty gross. We were doing this scene, and I had to crawl along this sidewalk, but I fell to my knees and it really hurt! I just had to keep crawling anyway, because the crew were screaming at everybody to get in their places. I was in agony, but we just had to keep going.

Your character has never been out in the real world, what was that like as an actor?

Ewan and I had a fun time with that because mentally as an actor you get into this state of everything being new. Children, dogs, people, cars, physical intimacy, all of it is new. The movie just slowly starts to build. It gets psychologically creepier and creepier as it goes. And then once you hit that point where everything is revealed, it's so horribly disturbing!

How was it acting against a blue screen with no set or anything?

It was exhausting. Especially when you're imagining that you're racing to escape and save your own life, while all you can hear is a member of the crew chewing a sandwich next to you! That's really hard!

This is a deviation from some of your other films that have dealt with some pretty heavy issues, what do you hope people will get out of this one?

Movies don't always have to deliver the 'big picture.' That can be so preachy and boring. You sometimes just want to leave the cinema and say, that was cool! So I hope people just have a great time when they watch this, it's a trip.

Are you ever surprised at how famous you are?

It's sort of very surprising because I never had any expectations. When I was younger, I only hoped that I could be a working actor, so I don't think you can foresee something like this.

Do you care about the stuff that they write about you in the tabloids?

I really don't patronize tabloid magazines, so if I ever read what's written about me, it's either hearsay, or somebody's faxed me an article. I never respond to any of the gossip because I don't think it really does any good, you only end up back in the papers the following week while they print a retraction!

When do you feel you'll reach your own 'island,' and find that perfect state of bliss?

I don't know. It's good to be satisfied, but I never want to stop looking, and I never want to stop being curious about things. I'm saying that now, of course, as a 20-year-old girl! Ask me in another 35 years, and I'll probably tell you that all I want to do is be comfortable! But I hope to constantly be searching for ultimate satisfaction, until the day that I die. Otherwise, gosh. How boring.

Photograph © Merrick Morton/DreamWorks Pictures