Hollywood is a weird place. Honestly, if you spent your workweek pressing your face against a coworker’s while forty people held light reflectors and ate ham sandwiches three feet away, you’d probably think it’s weird too. For Scarlett Johansson, this is just a Tuesday. People have been obsessed with the idea of a kiss Scarlett Johansson moment since she was a teenager in Lost in Translation, but the reality of these scenes is usually way less glamorous than the posters suggest.
Take Matt Damon, for example. You’d think kissing one of the most famous women on the planet would be a career highlight. Nope. During the filming of We Bought a Zoo in 2011, Damon actually described the experience as "hell."
Why? Onions.
The Onion Sandwich Incident
They had already filmed their big romantic scene. Thinking they were done for the day, Scarlett went and grabbed lunch—a literal onion sandwich. Then, the director, Cameron Crowe, decided he wanted one more tight shot of the kiss. Scarlett realized the mistake immediately. She reportedly yelled out, "Oh shit, I literally just had an onion sandwich!" Damon spent the rest of the shoot making fun of her breath. It’s a classic example of how "movie magic" is basically just a combination of mints and professional endurance.
Why the Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey Kisses Went Viral
Fast forward to late 2024 and early 2025. The internet nearly broke because of the promotional tour for Jurassic World Rebirth. Scarlett and her costar, Jonathan Bailey, were seen locking lips on multiple red carpets—first in London, then in New York.
People lost their minds. "Isn't she married to Colin Jost?" "Why are they kissing like that?"
The comments sections were a war zone. Some fans were convinced it was a sign of a secret divorce or a polyamorous relationship. But Scarlett, being Scarlett, just laughed it off. During an interview on the Today show in June 2025, she basically said they’re just "friendly people" and that she has "a lot of love to give." Bailey, who is openly gay, backed her up, saying life is too short not to kiss your friends.
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It was a masterclass in PR buzz. It got people talking about a dinosaur movie by using nothing but a bit of platonic affection.
The Unscripted Whisper in Tokyo
You can't talk about a kiss Scarlett Johansson scene without mentioning the end of Lost in Translation. That goodbye between Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte is arguably the most analyzed moment in modern cinema.
Here is the thing most people don't realize: the kiss wasn't in the script.
Director Sofia Coppola hadn't planned for them to kiss at all. It was an improvisation by Bill Murray. Because it wasn't rehearsed, Scarlett’s reaction—that mixture of surprise, sadness, and relief—is 100% genuine. Then there’s the whisper. For decades, people have used audio software to try and decode what Murray said in her ear. Theories range from "I have to be leaving" to secret jokes.
The truth? Only Murray, Johansson, and Coppola know. And they aren't telling.
The Chemistry With Chris Evans: "Pop in the Tic-Tacs"
If there is one person fans desperately wanted Scarlett to end up with, it’s Chris Evans. They’ve done seven movies together. They have that "old married couple" vibe that you can't fake. When they had to kiss in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the world held its breath.
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But to them? It was like kissing a brother.
Scarlett has been very vocal about how "jaded" they are as friends. Her approach to a romantic scene with Evans was basically:
- Grab the Tic-Tacs.
- Roll the cameras.
- Get it over with so they could go back to making fun of each other.
She once told Access Hollywood that any excuse to get close to Chris is delightful, but it’s entirely professional. Their intimacy comes from ten years of knowing each other's "soft underbelly," as she put it. It’s a deep, platonic friendship that translates to "sexual tension" on a 40-foot screen.
The Professionalism of "The Boxing Match"
Scarlett has compared filming intimate scenes to an "organized boxing match." It’s technical. It’s choreographed. You have to worry about:
- Camera angles (don't block the light).
- Body positioning (don't look awkward).
- Breath (obviously).
- The crew (who are literally bored while watching you).
In Under the Skin, where she played an alien seductress, the "kisses" weren't even about romance—they were about predation. Many of the men in that movie weren't even actors; they were random strangers picked up in a van with hidden cameras. That’s a far cry from the red-carpet glamour of a movie premiere.
Navigating the Public Eye in 2026
Being a celebrity in the age of TikTok means every "kiss Scarlett Johansson" search result is scrutinized by millions of amateur body language experts. Whether it's a scripted moment in a Marvel movie or a friendly peck with a costar at a premiere, the public tends to project their own fantasies onto the stars.
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The reality is usually much more boring. It’s a job. Sometimes that job involves onion breath, and sometimes it involves making your husband’s SNL coworkers uncomfortable for a laugh.
Actionable Insights for Film Buffs
If you’re interested in the technical side of how these "moments" are created, there are a few things you should look for next time you watch a Johansson film:
- The "Near-Miss" Technique: Watch how actors often angle their heads so the camera sees the reaction to the kiss rather than the contact itself. This is huge in the MCU.
- Audio Dubbing: Almost every on-screen kiss has the sound added or enhanced in post-production. It’s gross, but true.
- Improvisation: Like the Lost in Translation moment, the best scenes often happen when the actors break away from the script. Look for genuine "micro-expressions" of surprise.
Scarlett Johansson has navigated Hollywood for over twenty years by being incredibly smart about her public image. She knows that a well-timed "viral" kiss can sell a movie better than a $20 million ad campaign. But at the end of the day, when the cameras stop, she’s just heading home to her family, probably hoping no one had onions for lunch.
To truly understand the impact of these performances, compare her early work in The Horse Whisperer to the calculated, mature chemistry she displays in Marriage Story. The evolution of her "on-screen romance" is essentially a timeline of her growth as an actress.
Next Steps for Deep Dives:
- Study the cinematography of Lost in Translation to see how "natural lighting" changed the intimacy of the final scene.
- Compare the "press tour behavior" of the Jurassic World Rebirth cast to previous franchises to see how modern PR uses "viral moments" to drive ticket sales.
- Look up "intimacy coordinators" in Hollywood to understand how the industry has changed since Scarlett's early days in the 2000s.