Tim Walker/W
Scarlett Johansson dressed for W magazine as the late screen icon Marlene Dietrich.One of the oft-cited benefits of working in the acting business is the ability to dress up and assume the personality of any conceivable character.
Scarlett Johansson recently had the chance to do that three separate times over the course of 14 hours, all for a creative photo shoot featured in the June issue of W magazine.
The 26-year-old actress posed for photographer Tim Walker dressed as film icons Buster Keaton, Marlene Dietrich, Sarah Bernhardt and Giulietta Masina in "La Strada."
In most of the shots, Johansson is hardly recognizable, thanks to smartly chosen costumes and makeup.
The June issue also pays tribute to one of the most noted directors Johansson has worked with, Woody Allen, and the women many consider to be his muses, such as "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" star Penelope Cruz.
"The women, especially, in my films have to be real," Allen told W. "And yet it's also very important to me to present the women with the enthusiasm and eroticism and awe that I feel about them."
Johansson as Buster Keaton. (Tim Walker/W)
Adding that he's "very concerned with how they look, that they match my image of them," Allen went on to cite an example with Johansson from the 2005 film "Match Point."
"In 'Match Point,' I reshot the scene where the audience first sees Scarlett four different ways," he explained. "I wanted it just right: the hair, the color and style of her clothes, everything. I wanted the audience to feel what I felt about her."
Johansson as (l.) Sarah Bernhardt and Giulietta Masina in 'La Strada.' (Tim Walker/W)
Allen also compared the way he views his leading ladies to how he views his hometown of New York City.
"People say that my Manhattan is a fantasy Manhattan. And that's correct," he said. "My concept of Manhattan is one that I gleaned from Hollywood movies."
"And it's the same with the women in my films," he said. "I see them all through rose-colored glasses."
The shoot was first discussed over an alcohol-infused meal in France last year. (Tim Walker/W)
Elisha Cuthbert Sarah Polley Jamie Gunns Jennifer Gimenez Shakara Ledard
