Scarlett Johansson Refused to Wear Makeup for ‘We Bought a Zoo’

Owen Hoffman/PatrickMcMullan.com/Sipa Press

At the New York premiere of We Bought a Zoo, Scarlett Johansson’s skin shimmered with glacier-blue shadow and baby pink gloss: a far cry from her character, who shuns the stuff entirely.

To play an animal caretaker alongside Matt Damon in what she calls a “decrepit Grey Gardens of a zoo,” Johansson felt that the audience wouldn’t believe her in the role if she were wearing fake eyelashes and lip plumper. Hence, a strict adherence to a no-makeup policy, she tells Vanity Fair.

And this isn’t the first time the 27-year-old has augmented her looks for a role: Jon Favreau, who directed the star in Iron Man 2, tells the magazine, “Scarlett was not the logical first choice for the Black Widow,” but when she auditioned for the role, “she had red hair. She said, ‘I wanted to show you that I was serious.’

“She’s uniquely beautiful,” he continues. “She’s smart and talented. That’s a tough combo to beat.”

–Justine Harman

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