Scarlett Johansson on ‘Asteroid City’ and Dream co-star she hasn’t had yet: ‘I’d love to work with Tom Cruise’
From his long tenure in the Marvel Universe to his new role in City of Asteroids, Scarlett Johansson is no stranger to stellar casts. But in all of her long list of A-list collaborations, there’s one actor she still hopes to work with: Tom Cruise.
“I’d love to work with Tom Cruise,” Johansson said The Hollywood Reporter at the New York premiere of City of Asteroids on Tuesday. For now though, he counts Jason Schwartzman, Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Bryan Cranston, Steve Carrell, Maya Hawke, Jeffrey Wright, Jeff Goldblum and Adrien Brody as his co-stars in the new Wes Anderson film, which follows the events that change the world that disrupt the itinerary of a 1955 Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention in the desert.
Related stories
“His set is so unique because Wes is never worried about the weather,” Johansson explained of working with Anderson. “He never worried about getting to the next shot or how many shots in a day or what we have or haven’t completed. It’s really so present in the moment of the scene work that you’re doing that I think it just allows for such creative freedom because you can really sit in a scene and have plenty of time to discover new ways to come in.
Schwartzman, who has worked on several of Anderson’s films before, commented on the relationship between the two: “I was lucky enough to meet someone I really bonded with when I was young, and somehow we managed to have a really honest relationship of friendship and work that is based precisely on sharing”.
“That’s what I love about working with him, is that you get to know him through the work and there’s no one who does it like him,” the actor continued. “He always pushes Him to new places. I’m envious of him and I’m happy to be a part of it.” Schwartzman also highlighted the camaraderie of the star-studded cast, noting how everyone showed up on set to support each other even when they weren’t working, as Cranston recalled, “Every single night the whole crew of actors and the cinematographer and the the costume designer and the makeup, hair and wardrobe people were all together, dining, sharing wine, telling stories, discovering each other’s families.
“The experience is unlike any other movie experience I’ve had in 43 years,” he confirmed. Stars Brody and Goldblum chimed in to sing Anderson’s praises on the carpet, with Brody explaining, “Wes is a wonderfully collaborative person and has a unique specificity that’s a fun challenge to achieve: his use of language and timing and these masterful long takes that have no cuts.
Added Goldblum, who revealed he was tasked with walking on stilts in the film, “He reminds me of someone who sees the filming experience as an artistic project and an important opportunity in itself. Every moment is a kind of sparkling and genuine opportunity to be present. He’s a delightful and delightful storyteller, loves actors and attracts the cream of the wise cast and every other wise, in the crew.
Cranston also weighed Anderson’s comments that the film needs to be seen twice, quipping, “It’s kind of like a meal prepared with so many subtleties of spice and flavor that you have to slow down.”
“You slow down and slice it to really focus on what you’re tasting — same thing with a Wes Anderson movie,” he continued. “When you first see it you go, ‘Oh my God, the color, the movement, the language, wow, wow, wow.’ You see it a second time and I guarantee you will see so many things you never saw the first time.
City of Asteroids explosions at select theaters on Fridays.