Brief
Jonathan Glazer explains Scarlett Johansson’s role in ‘Under the Skin’
Glazer says Johansson’s fame attracted investors while her presence suited the film’s alien premise.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Director Jonathan Glazer told The Irish Times in 2014 that casting Scarlett Johansson in his 2013 film Under the Skin made sense both financially and artistically, a view echoed by Johansson herself in a Guardian interview the same year.
What happened
Glazer’s sci‑fi drama follows an extraterrestrial woman, Isserley, who arrives in Glasgow to harvest human flesh. The film, adapted from Michel Faber’s 2000 novel, was shot in locations such as a Glasgow shopping centre where Johansson’s character asks strangers for directions to Asda. The narrative is largely silent, with the alien observing and killing victims before disposing of them in a black sludge.
What the reports add
The Independent notes that Johansson’s casting was initially driven by investors who were more willing to fund a project starring a global star, compared with earlier considerations of Gemma Arterton or Eva Green. Glazer later said the actress’s “exotic insect” look fit the alien’s otherworldly quality. Johansson recalled in The Guardian that the production “toyed with prosthetics, teeth, all kinds of things” but ultimately relied on minimal physical alteration.
What was said
Glazer told The Irish Times, “It made a great deal of sense to cast somebody very well known.” He added that seeing Johansson “walking along the street in a pink jumper on a long lens” made her appear “like an exotic insect on the wrong continent.” Johansson told The Guardian, “None of us knew how it was going to work,” and described the team’s experiments with prosthetics and makeup.
How it came about
Glazer spent years adapting Faber’s novel, at one point envisioning a farmer‑type version of the alien with Brad Pitt considered for a male lead. That concept fell apart, leading Glazer to strip the script to its mood‑driven core. The film has been hailed as one of the best British films of the 21st century and will screen at London’s ICA on 24 October as part of the Celebrating Free Thinkers festival, marking The Independent’s 40th anniversary.
Key facts
- Jonathan Glazer said casting Scarlett Johansson was financially motivated and artistically fitting. (independent.co.uk)
- Johansson’s character, Isserley, is an alien who hunts humans in Glasgow. (independent.co.uk)
- The film is based on Michel Faber’s 2000 novel. (independent.co.uk)
- Under the Skin will screen at London’s ICA on 24 October. (independent.co.uk)
- Glazer once considered Brad Pitt for a male alien role before abandoning the idea. (independent.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] independent.co.uk — originally reported as “Scarlett Johansson lured Scottish blokes into a van – and made a masterpiece”
