That Time Scarlett Johansson Had To Pick Up Guys While Filming A Movie

That Time Scarlett Johansson Had To Pick Up Guys While Filming A Movie

2013’s Under the Skin was certainly one of the most bizarre roles to date for Scarlett Johansson. The actress played an alien masquerading as an alluring woman who scours the streets of Glasgow for men, entices them to have sex with her and then murders them in cold blood. As it turns out, during the making of Under the Skin Johansson had quite the unconventional experience with several of the men playing opposite of her. Here’s what she said:

A remarkable aspect of Under the Skin is that a lot of the people who appear in it aren’t actors. They’re normal people – who happen to be walking down a road minding their own business when a pretty lady pulls up in a van alongside them and offers them a lift to Tesco and then a film crew clutching disclaimers leaps out of the back.

Wait… what? Many of the men featured in Under the Skin were actually picked up by Scarlett Johansson herself, whilst she was in character in short black hair. In an interview with The Guardian, she was asked at what point did director Jonathan Glazer tell her they didn’t have other actors and the plan was to drift through the streets and find some during the making of the 2013 sci-fi drama? Her answer:

That happened later on. And none of us knew how it was going to work. We toyed with lots of different things like prosthetics, teeth, all kinds of things that would change my face but only slightly, when in fact there was no need to do any of that.

Under the Skin was an indie film with just a $13 million budget, which explains the lack of actors in the film. It was unclear if this method would actually work though. Would they recognize the actress? It seemed to work out in the film’s favor and lean into the realism of the experience.

Daily Mail spoke with one of the men who was approached by the famous actress. 29-year-old Kevin McAlinden stopped him while in her car, rolled down the window and asked “Are you single? What are you doing tonight?” He didn’t recognize her as Scarlett Johansson, but noticed the actress’ undeniable beauty had recently split with his partner. He thought he won the jackpot. In his words:

I thought, 'Yes! This is unbelievable!' I’d been having quite a tough time in my personal life, so this was like a lucky break. I should have known it was too good to be true.

When he got into the car, he of course was told he was being recruited for a movie role. Can you imagine? That’s Black Widow, man? Duh! She’s only the most successful actresses in the world. Either way this is a crazy story about the behind-the-scenes of Under the Skin and certainly calls for a second-viewing after learning this about it.

You can see Scarlett Johansson next in Avengers: Endgame starting April 26.

6 Criticisms People Have Of Avengers: Endgame

6 Criticisms People Have Of Avengers: Endgame

Minor spoilers for the new Marvel movie can be found in this article.

Avengers: Endgame is killing it at the box office, and it's looking more and more likely it will become the highest-grossing film of all time. There are plenty of viewers who think the film is the ultimate swan song to the first 10 years of the MCU, with plenty of exciting and heart-wrenching moments for audiences to chew on. Those voices have expressed themselves well enough over the internet so far, but what about those who were disappointed by certain aspects?

These voices are quieter, and possibly keeping their opinions to themselves as opposed to the internet, particularly given the recent spoilers climate. Now that the Russos have given the OK on spoiling Avengers: Endgame, we're happy to talk out more specifically what we've seen and heard from fans as them feel more emboldened to share the issues they had with the MCU movie. Here are some that are out there already. Avengers lovers, assemble your counterpoints.

Avengers: Endgame Is Too Long

Audiences surely knew of Avengers: Endgame's roughly three-hour runtime ahead of their viewings, as headlines about not having a chance to pee circulated the web in the days before release. With hype like that, and spoilers on the movie kept largely under lock and key, many may have been glued to their seats denying themselves of snacks, bathroom breaks, or the birth of their children in fear of missing some huge MCU moment, but ended up underwhelmed by how the lengthy movie ran on and on and on.

In the case of one USA Today writer, Avengers: Endgame's runtime may have been justified had some of the plot been committed to re-introducing some characters. Instead, there were deep cuts and cameos by characters even those who had seen a vast majority of MCU movies may have struggled to remember. Other folks may just not have the patience for a three-hour movie, which is likely why studios tend not to make a lot of them.

Avengers: Endgame Has A Lot Of Downtime

Superhero movies are, typically, big on action. Avengers: Endgame does have one of the largest action sequences in the MCU, but this Avengers entry does have significant chunks of downtime between its fight scenes (the lengthy runtime likely contributes to this as well). The common complaint from a chunk of moviegoers is that things slow down shortly after the opening moments, and go between rising and falling action quite a bit leading up to the final battle.

Part of this may be audiences coming in expecting an experience closer to Avengers: Infinity War, which felt action heavy in comparison. Of course, given where Infinity War ended, we had to pick up at an interesting point in time, which means the first hour of Avengers: Endgame has a lot of downtime. Fans have to catch up with characters in the five years after the time-jump, which would not have the same emotional impact if characters were kicking ass all through those scenes.

Avengers: Endgame Requires A Lot Of Marvel Knowledge To Fully Appreciate

While the Russos stated that all audiences can enjoy Avengers: Endgame without a vast knowledge of the MCU, that's up to the individual to decide. Someone could see Avengers: Endgame having only seen Infinity War or a handful of other Marvel movies, but there's a good deal of references that will go right over his or her head.

Even those well-versed in the MCU may have missed deep references as the movie even managed to work in scenes from iconic comic book storylines. A great example is Captain America's "Hail Hydra" scene, which is a reference to Captain America: Winter Soldier, but also a polarizing comic storyline in Secret Empire. It's never fun to feel out of the loop in the theater, which may have been why some folks didn't enjoy the flick as much as others.

Avengers: Endgame's Time Travel Is Confusing

This is, perhaps, the biggest criticisms fans have felt comfortable talking about since Avengers: Endgame's release. Time travel can always create issues in storytelling, especially when the movie outright explains it's not going to follow the rules of traditional time travel established by films of the past. There's even a discrepancy between the Russos and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely on explaining how it works, which should be a sign.

Answers are, presumably, going to come via Disney+'s Marvel shows or in other Phase 4 films, but there's a sense Avengers: Endgame passed the buck onto someone else to explain away some of the decisions the movie made. Granted, a lot of it wouldn't be too difficult to grasp if it wasn't for Captain America's end scene, which kind of puts a lot of theories fans have to that point on their heads. Bottom line, some fans need a real and official explanation to feel satisfied.

Avengers: Endgame Use Of The Hulk Is Underwhelming

Avengers: Endgame viewers were treated to a wildly different version of the Hulk, who now lived as a superhero with the body of the green gamma radiated giant and the brain of counterpart Bruce Banner. He was, with maybe the exception of Hawkeye, the most transformed of all of the Avengers 5 years after Infinity War. However, with Hawkeye, we witnessed what he lost following the snap, saw the person he became afterward, and then saw how he reclaimed who he was in the process.

With Hulk, we saw the once intimidating and most destructive force in the Avengers dab in front of children. Sure, he did more, but Banner's reconciling with Hulk is a big deal, and some fans feel like it's a shame we didn't see more of him figuring that out. We also really didn't see the two sides as equals, as Banner used very little of that patented "smash" ability. His part was enjoyable, but there wasn't a lot to love for classic Hulk fans.

Avengers: Endgame's Deaths Shouldn't Even Matter

Avengers: Endgame features two huge deaths when --and big spoilers here -- we lose Black Widow and Iron Man. Theoretically, the movie lays out how the MCU can bring neither back thanks to the rules of the Soul Stone etc. However, Gamora being snatched up from the past and brought to the present brings an earlier version of her character back into the Guardians franchise, so why wouldn't they do that immediately? I don't think it can be because it would change the past, because Nebula killing her past self seems to have done nothing.

Using Pym Particles and the Quantum Realm, it would theoretically be easy to bring back both Tony and Natasha from a time prior to their death so that the entire squad can be together again. It may not happen to keep the emotion of Avengers: Endgame, but from a plot perspective, this timey-wimey stuff in Endgame's realm still seems shaky from a lot of fan perspectives. Of course, we know Tony won't be coming back because of his Marvel contract, but still.

Of course, these are just a few of the popular criticisms moviegoers have had for Avengers: Endgame, so readers with other qualms can throw them down in the comments below. Otherwise, stick with CinemaBlend in the meantime for all the latest and greatest news in movies, television, and pop culture.

Will Smith Found The Aladdin Genie Backlash ‘Very Funny’

Will Smith Found The Aladdin Genie Backlash ‘Very Funny’

Although we got our first look at Will Smith’s Genie in the upcoming Aladdin remake last December, the character was rocking a normal human guise. It wasn’t until the special sneak that aired in February that the character was shown in all his blue glory. Well, maybe ‘glory’ isn’t the right word, as this look at the live action blue Genie was met with a lot of derision online, which included various memes and Photoshop manipulations, due to the quality of the CGI,

However, rather than be bothered or hurt by this backlash against Aladdin’s Genie, Will Smith actually found these reactions amusing. In his words:

It was very funny. There was a Sonic The Hedgehog / Genie frog. Everything is under such critical scrutiny. I came up in an era where there was no internet. It’s a new thing that I’m trying to get a handle on.

Will Smith does have a point. The internet as we know it wasn’t around when he was growing up, and even during the period when he was starring in hits like Bad Boys, Independence Day and Men in Black, the World Wide Web didn’t hold anywhere near the cultural influence it does now. Sure you might have come across some movie criticism, but that’s a far cry from someone using an Arrested Development screenshot to poke fun at the live action iteration of a Disney character only minutes after a new preview dropped.

Thing seem to have calmed down on the Genie front since then, particularly after a new Aladdin trailer dropped last month which included improved shots of Will Smith’s character. Director Guy Ritchie, who also spoke with Empire, noticed the turnaround on the reception towards Genie, saying:

It even came with apologies from the cynics who were so adamant initially. I’ve never seen apologies in that world. I thought, ‘Oh well, great, we’re back to where I’d hoped we’d be.'

Altogether, we’ve only glimpsed seconds of Genie from the Aladdin marketing, so we’ll have to wait until the movie actually comes out to see whether the VFX crew stuck the proverbial landing with his blue appearance or if there are still some noticeable issues. Either way, at least Will Smith was able to get a little joy out of the mockery his version of Genie went through rather than take it personally.

Rather than radically overhauling the story of its 1992 animated predecessor, Aladdin seems to be following in the footsteps of Beauty and the Beast and going the straightforward remake route, though obviously still with some differences. Along with Will Smith, the main cast includes Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Jasmine, Marwan Kenzari as Jafar, Navid Negahban as The Sultan, Nasim Pedrad as Dalia, Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders, Numan Acar as Hakim and Robby Haynes as Razoul, as well as Alan Tudyk voicing Iago and Frank Welker reprising Abu the monkey and the Cave of Wonders.

Aladdin will work its magic in theaters on May 24. If you’re curious about what other movies are coming out later this year, head to our 2019 release schedule for that information.

Jeremy Renner Says The Cast Was 'Just As Surprised' Over Avengers: Endgame’s Story

Jeremy Renner Says The Cast Was 'Just As Surprised' Over Avengers: Endgame’s Story

Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame are ahead!

Normally it’s no issue for filmmakers to provide the actors performing in a movie the entire script, but not so with Avengers: Endgame. With the exception of Robert Downey Jr., none of the Endgame stars were given the full script for the latest explosive MCU movie. So when it came time to watch the movie in its entirety, according to Jeremy Renner, they were as surprised about the progression of events as the general audience. As he put it:

We were all just as surprised after seeing the movie. We’re watching it as fans.

Actors appearing in blockbusters are always told by the studios to stay quiet about spoilers, but Marvel wasn’t taking any chances with Avengers: Endgame. In addition giving the standard warnings about not spilling the beans on any big plot details, they also weren’t given full context for the scenes they were performing in. I also suspect Mark Ruffalo wasn’t the only one who was given some dummy scenes to act out.

It probably feels novel for an actor to watch a movie they were in for the first time and not know exactly how events were going to unfold. Judging by Jeremy Renner’s comment to TODAY, it sounds like he and his costars got a kick out of learning all of Avengers: Endgame’s specific beats at the same time as people who weren’t involved with the movie.

No doubt it was hard to for Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo to hide full context for everything that was shot. For instance, with Tony Stark’s funeral, there’s really no way to make that scene play out as if it were a different event. That said, perhaps the scene was filmed differently a few times with the identity of the deceased individual changed each time to ensure that the actors didn’t know with absolute certainty who was dying in Endgame’s climactic conflict.

The First Draft Of Avengers: Endgame Was Originally Very Different

In any case, while Avengers: Endgame isn’t the final entry of Phase 3, it did close out the Infinity Saga, which has been running since Iron Man kicked off the MCU in 2008. The movie marked Jeremy Renner’s fifth appearance as Hawkeye, and one could argue that he got one of the happiest endings in the movie since he was reunited with his wife and kids five years after they were dusted.

While there don’t appear to be any plans for Hawkeye to appear in another Marvel movie in the near future, his time in the MCU might not be done just yet. It was reported earlier this month that Disney+ has a Hawkeye series in development, which will see Clint Barton passing on the superheroic archery mantle to Kate Bishop, who also goes by Hawkeye in the comics.

Be sure to read CinemaBlend’s review of Avengers: Endgame and keep checking back for more news about the movie. You can also keep track of what movies are coming out later this year in our 2019 release schedule.

Nobody Will Guess What Happens In Avengers: Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. Says

Nobody Will Guess What Happens In Avengers: Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. Says

Wait, have we only been waiting a year for the epic cliffhanger that started with Avengers: Infinity War? I don't know about you, but I would have sworn it’s been longer. Plot twist(?): This is Quantum Realm’s world and we’re just living in it. This impatience Marvel fans collectively feel is probably because Avengers: Endgame has easily become one of the most heavily anticipated movies in the history of film. The movie does follow over a decade of build-up and follows 21 other films starring these characters.

The event film has fans guessing left and right about what exactly will happen… and getting real creative too. Have you heard the viral one in which Ant-Man apparently crawls up Thanos’ butt to explode him from the inside out? Good stuff. With so many theories, you’d think some fans have actually already guessed what will happen by the time Endgame closes. Not according to the cast. Here’s what Robert Downey Jr. had to say:

I guarantee you there is no way anybody could guess what's going to happen.

Okay, RDJ! Have a little faith in us! We must have guessed at least some of what goes down in the culmination by now. One popular theory suggests the remaining Avengers will decide to travel back in time via the Quantum Realm in order to reverse the damage Thanos has done. It’s the most logical alternative! Maybe we have it all wrong, though? More of the Avengers have weighed in on the unpredictable and grand spectacle awaiting fans with Endgame.

Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man): Infinity War was nuts, but this one is going to be our finest hour.

Chris Evans (Captain America): Every time you think Marvel's pulled every single trick out of the bag, they actually saved the best stuff for this one.

Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow): These are the highest stakes that the Avengers have ever faced.

Brie Larson (Captain Marvel): This is the end of the fireworks show, the grand finale.

Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye): The storytelling is insane, you just don't know what to expect.

Check out some of the Endgame cast go higher, further, and faster with the movie’s expectations with the film’s newest featurette ahead of its release later this month:

As if the anticipation isn’t high already, these are some crazy huge statements from the main Avengers, who seem confident fans will be impressed and surprised with the outcome. Given all that’s resting on this particular MCU installment, I would be personally very extremely impressed and a little shocked if Endgame delivers on completely throwing audiences for a loop on this one -- after all this hype -- but they have pulled it off before.

What do you think? Will Endgame blow your expectations out of the water after already being one of the most anticipated movies ever? The film has a lot of ground to cover even in its three-hour runtime, perhaps including the end to Captain America’s on-screen story. Let us know your thoughts below!

What Amy Seimetz Loves About The Changes Made To Her Pet Sematary Character

What Amy Seimetz Loves About The Changes Made To Her Pet Sematary Character

In the original 1989 film and in Stephen King’s Pet Sematary novel, Zelda was the sister of Rachel Creed who died from spinal meningitis when they were children. Caring for her sister and her death traumatized Rachel into adulthood, and the new Pet Sematary, from directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, is doubling down on Zelda. Speaking about how that changes things for her character Rachel, actress Amy Seimetz said:

I love having a meal to chew as an actor. I love what they did with it and I think that, what I’ve been talking about too is that what’s interesting of making her have more agency and a little more actionable is that she has this guilt that she’s dealing with and feels responsible for Zelda’s death. I think that’s really interesting because just in grief in general you always feel some amount of guilt in some way, as if you could control the outcome. You can’t control death, death is coming to everyone.

That last line sounds like something Melisandre of Asshai would say on Game of Thrones, and it certainly fits for the prevalence of death in Pet Sematary. It seems that Amy Seimetz loved the changes made for the new Pet Sematary and how they affected her character and made for a more rewarding acting experience. As she told CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell in a conversation at SXSW, Rachel’s story gives her a lot to do and a lot to work with as an actor.

It seems like the new Pet Sematary will make Rachel a more fully fleshed out character that is making more choices, and not just having things happen to her. It also sounds like we will better understand Rachel’s trauma, and how that shaped the way she is reacting to the horrific events happening in the present day in the film as death comes for her family once again.

Rachel feels guilty and responsible for the death of her sister and that guilt has stayed with her throughout her life. That makes for a compelling character and as Amy Seimetz said, it is something that is universal and inescapable.

Guilt over the loss of a loved one, the feeling of powerlessness and regret is something we all experience. Is it our fault and could we have done more are questions that assault you in the wake of the death of a loved one, and ultimately just get quieter but never go away. This is especially true for Rachel and the death of her sister Zelda, whose illness was a burden on her family and especially Rachel.

You can hear Amy Seimetz discussing Rachel with Sean in the video below.

If you’ve seen the original 1989 Pet Sematary, you know that the scenes with Zelda are some of the most horrifying to behold, so it is exciting that the Rachel and Zelda story seems to be getting a little extra in this remake. In the original film Zelda was played by a man and the scenes had a bit of a dreamy quality, but they look to be more realistic this time around to differentiate them. The most recent trailer showed a snippet of Zelda, who is being played by Alyssa Brooke Levine, and it was nightmarish.

The early reactions to Pet Sematary are quite positive and indicate that this scary movie is very scary. The film is predicted to open around $20 million opposite Shazam!

Pet Sematary reminds us why sometimes dead is better when it opens in theaters on April 5. Check out our 2019 Release Guide to see all the movies you can look forward to this year.

Dark Phoenix Will Have More Than One Major Character Death

Dark Phoenix Will Have More Than One Major Character Death

Many of today’s movie trailers have certainly been known to cross the line and give away too much before audiences get a chance to buy a ticket. This happened in a big way during the marketing of Dark Phoenix when one trailer spoiled the death of Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique at the hand of Sophie Turner’s Jean Grey.

No one slipped up. Director Simon Kinberg has said that he made the decision to reveal this early plot point in order show the high stakes the X-Men will be dealing with during the last film in the franchise. Mystique won’t be the only character to say goodbye in Dark Phoenix either. Check out Kinberg’s tease:

There are certainly other major casualties in this.

Looks like Dark Phoenix won’t be messing around. The movie is set up with tragedy for the team and it will only continue as the film rolls along, perhaps with even more beloved characters kicking the bucket as the long-running franchise closes out and makes room for the comic title joining the MCU sometime in the future.

While it was a surprise to see Mystique die in the trailer, it’s no shock that the character was going to be killed off in this X-Men film. Jennifer Lawrence has been vocal about her distaste with being turned blue in the harrowing makeup process since 2011, and has reportedly wanted out of the franchise for some time. The actress already has a convenient exit with the Disney/Fox merger sure to change things up, but maybe that wasn’t enough and she needed it to be official on screen.

Simon Kinberg’s words to EW do beg the question: Who else is going to die? Will the franchise go so far as to kill off the franchise’s huge players, Charles Xavier and Magneto? Though James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are likely to be finishing off their time as these characters with Dark Phoenix, will their last moments be their deaths?

There are tons of other X-Men characters in play here who could see their demises as well -- such as Nicholas Hoult’s Beast, Evan Peters’ Quicksilver, Tye Sheridan’s Cyclops and Alexandra Shipp’s Storm. Considering J-Law was on the table to be killed off, who knows if they’ll make it out either.

The movie already has the tough job of creating a satisfying conclusion to the Fox franchise that started with 2000’s X-Men. The film has undergone massive reshoots and multiple release date shifts, and it may face the lowest earning opening weekend for the franchise to date, as The Secret Life of Pets 2 aims to be its biggest competition on its debut.

The movie follows the team as they venture on a space mission and Jean gets hit by a solar flare, leaving her with a new powerful burst of energy and powers to attempt to control. When she kills Mystique, the X-Men must figure out what to do about her: kill her or save her somehow? Dark Phoenix hits theaters on June 7.