Scarlett Johansson reflects on anxiety about her looks at start of her career
Scarlett Johansson has spoken out about how it felt to be judged by the way she looked when she started out in Hollywood.
The actress, 41, said she felt she was 'pigeon-holed' in her roles and was left so image-conscious she would get up extra early to pile on a full face of make-up so co-workers wouldn't see her acne.
She admitted it was partly because she felt 'self-conscious' about her skin but she was also fearful about being criticized over her appearance.
Early struggles: Scarlett Johansson admitted that she felt she was judged about her looks
Speaking on CBS's Sunday Morning, Scarlett said: 'You do feel self-conscious. I felt like I had to wake up and cover all this acne before I got to work, which is a lot of effort...
'It weighs on you. I know how debilitating it can be to feel self-conscious about the quality of your skin.
'Being a 20-year-old woman in the early 2000s in the spotlight… it was a really harsh time.
'Women were just pulled apart for the way they looked in a way that was socially acceptable at the time... It was tough. There was a lot placed on how women looked.
'What was offered at that time for women my age, as far as acting roles or opportunities, was much slimmer than it is now...
'You would get really pigeon-holed and offered the same [roles]. It would be like the other woman, or the side piece, the bombshell. That was the archetype that was a lot of when I was that age.'
Raw reaction: Scarlett said it was 'tough' as a young woman in the 'harsh' early 2000s; pictured in 2013 horror Under The Skin
Scarlett explained she had felt bad about her skin at work ever since she was cast as a child in 1998 drama The Horse Whisperer.
She said: '[I've] been dealing with my own skin struggles since I was 12.
'And on the set of The Horse Whisperer I remember the make-up artist being like: "Oh you've got Mount Vesuvius on your forehead."
'As a pre-teen adolescent you're so self-conscious and you've got a make-up artist pointing it out and you're working on set and people are trying to light around it. That's just awful.'
Scarlett also revealed the advice she now gives to her daughter Rose, who will turn 12 later this year.
She said: 'I always say to her... be gentle on yourself... be gentle on your skin.'
