Scarlett Johansson: ‘It’s my absolute greatest joy to change dirty diapers’

As we discussed a week ago, Scarlett Johansson was named the highest-grossing actress of all time by Box Office Mojo. She’s the only woman in the top-ten list of highest grossing actors, but the list is like fifty people long and other women made the list, just not in the top ten. ScarJo’s success (or the success being attributed to her) mostly comes from the Marvel films and from her voice work on projects like Disney’s The Jungle Book. Anyway, Extra caught up with Scarlett and she had some thoughts about the list and being a working mother in Hollywood:

It’s good to be Scarlett Johansson. The actress, who was just named the highest-grossing actress of all time, also received the Renaissance Award at the Gene Siskel Film Center’s annual gala in Chicago. When “Extra” caught up with the “Captain America” star, who looked stunning in a blue Oscar de la Renta dress, she said she was both happy and disappointed about the highest-grossing achievement, as she trailed behind nine actors.

She explained, “It’s exciting to be the only woman in the category,” while noting, “it’s disappointing to be the only woman actually, that was a little bit of a surprise to me.”

The 31-year-old also opened up about being a working mom in Hollywood, “If somebody has the magic recipe for making being a working mom easy, let me know… working moms two thumbs up.”

She loves spending time with her 22-month-old daughter Rose, even when it involves changing dirty diapers. Scarlett said with a smile, “It’s my absolute greatest joy to change dirty diapers.”

She revealed her technique for getting it done, “I usually try to have something on hand to be distracting, a toy, a song, never works by the way, my daughter still hates it, she hates it.”

[From Extra]

As I said, Scarlett was not the only woman on the list, she was the only woman in the top ten. Cameron Diaz is #19, Helena Bonham Carter is #26, Cate Blanchett is #29 – you can see the list here. Basically, you have to be part of some kind of huge franchise (or multiple franchises) to crack the top thirty. So ScarJo is technically incorrect when she says she’s “the only woman in the category,” but she’s right in a general sense because it’s depressing to see how few women are included in the most financially successful films.

As for changing dirty diapers… better her than me. I wonder if her husband is much help in the diaper department.

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Photos courtesy of Getty, Fame/Flynet.

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40 Responses to “Scarlett Johansson: ‘It’s my absolute greatest joy to change dirty diapers’”

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  1. juice says:

    i’m betting she was asked about being the only woman in the top 10, and that’s what she commented on being disappointed about.

  2. Jegede says:

    So she first says it’s “exciting to be the only woman” on the list. (Not surprising)

    Then her mask quickly comes back on, and it’s “disappointing to be the only woman”. Lol

    • Naya says:

      I dont think thats a mask at all, its just a natural reaction. We all have to have a competitive streak to succeed, even though the rest of the world would have us believe its unfeminine or even worse unfeminist. Her first thought is “great, I came top” and then she realises the broader significance of being the only one at the top.

      • teacakes says:

        Pretty much.

        Scarjo is far from unproblematic (Ghost in the Shell, smh) but some people seem to have a real complex regarding literally anything she says or does.

      • Sea Dragon says:

        +1

      • Nikki says:

        +1 Naya. Nothing wrong with anything she said. By the way, she was in a movie with Robert Redford when she was only about 13 years old, and she was great. I don’t find her acting wooden, as some have said..

    • BananaBoatt says:

      @jegede you hit the nail on the head!

    • Amide says:

      @Jegede
      Spot on as usual. I guess her mask slipped for a nano second.
      One of the many reasons I can’t stand the Sodastream queen.

      @BananaBoatt – Yup

    • AllieC says:

      Agreed. Ever since she made those nasty comments about Meryl Streep’s son-in-law, Ben Walker, I’ve had no interest in Scarlett or any of her movies. She’s hardly a top notch actress. Scar and Ben starred on Broadway together. I do remember her commenting on his bare ass and how it made coming to work so easy. She added what a great view it was. Classless to comment about a married man. The divorce was announced shortly thereafter. Many whispers of an affair. Not surprisingly, it went hush hush immediately.

  3. SM says:

    I don’t know why but her husband is giving me constant douchbag vibes.

    • Lama Bean says:

      All day every day.

    • teacakes says:

      At least he’s never gone to the press to claim he’s the “modern-day Don Draper” and “the most beautiful man in the world” like the specimen she was dating before him. I mean, there’s self-confidence and then there’s delusion.

    • Amide says:

      @Lama Bean – All day every day here too.
      I’ll be surprised if they make it to 5 years.

  4. Sixer says:

    I would use the word inescapable rather than joy when referencing changing dirty nappies. I was the dirty nappy fairy in our house as a quid pro quo for Mr Sixer being the ironing fairy. The best I can say for changing dirty nappies is that it’s better than ironing. Takes less time.

    • Locke Lamora says:

      I love ironing. And washing dishes manually. I barely use my dishwasher. It’s so relaxing. Dusting, however, is the worst.

      Changing diapers seems horrible. My only hope is that it’s easier when it’s your own kid. Is it?

      • Sixer says:

        Mr Sixer loves ironing. As did my late mother. They both say/said it’s relaxing and lets you chill out and think your own thoughts while doing your chore duty. I think it’s boring and imprisoning and anyway, who cares if your clothes are creased? Cos I certainly don’t. Ironing is emblematic of a waste of time to me.

        I wouldn’t say nappy changing is horrible, any more than using toilet paper or a bidet on yourself is horrible. It just is. It’s just one of those less-than-glamorous jobs life entails but that you’d never dream of waxing lyrical over (cf: “joy”) just because you like being a parent.

        I guess your babies do operate as an extension of you, though, so nappy-changing may be less off-putting than say, clearing up another adult’s vomit or somesuch, if that’s what you mean?

      • Sabrine says:

        What happened with the diaper changing that I’d never done before is that I just got used to it which probably happens to most new moms. After a day or so, it was no big deal. But when they hit the over two age and were still in diapers, that was not the most pleasant thing, had a few stomach heaves there.

      • fruitloops says:

        I found it disgusting before I had my baby, now it turned out to be just another thing to be done for the baby. I don’t mind changing diapers, just as I don’t mind cleaning her poo off of the floor and myself when she projectiles in the second I reached for a new diaper, her vomit off of the floor or myself when I decided she would’t vomit any more and not to put something on me, her pee off of everything when she pees the moment I remove dirty diaper, washing her baby bathtub when she poos in the water when it’s bathing time… It’s just what babies do and what must be handled and will pass soon enough.
        That being said, I hope she’ll be out of diaper by the age of two. 😀

    • Amanda says:

      I hate changing dirty diapers. Is poo any more precious/less gross because it comes from your child? I’d argue no. It still sucks. I have to roll my eyes sometimes at these celeb moms who try to relate to us “normal folk.”

      • Birdix says:

        Especially when the kid is almost 2! Big kid, big poop.

      • Norman Bates' Mother says:

        I don’t have my own kids, but I used to spend much more time with my then little nephews than their own parents, who were working 12 hour shifts. I’d say that the worst part is when they are like 3 or 4 and they are no longer in diapers, but still can’t properly wipe themselves and you have to help them. Gross. Changing infant’s diapers was joy in comparison.

      • Prim says:

        We’re changing them for a near 5 year old here (ASD) and will be for a long time yet. Joy is not a word I’d use.

      • KTKat says:

        Seriously! I have two kids and cleaning up poop is definitely on the bottom of the list of things that bring me joy as a parent. Is it worse than say, cleaning up projectile vomit? No. But still not joyful. Can’t wait until number 2 is potty trained and I’m done with diapers forever!

    • Jellybean says:

      She can be very dry and sarcastic at times, which I like. The media tend to report comments like that without any indication of intent, or maybe the Journalists are just humorless. She might find it a joyful task, but I wouldn’t count on it.

      • Sixer says:

        I can sympathise with that. 99% of what I say is a joke but certainly not taken as such 99% of the time!

      • Jellybean says:

        Me too Sixer, but It is an unfortunate trait in a celebrity, it can get them in a lot of trouble with the press.

      • teacakes says:

        My first thought was that this sounded very similar to the tone of the infamous “oh yeah, we had sex in the elevator. It was very unhygienic.” quote of her younger days.

    • Betsy says:

      I think it was sarcasm. No one with such an exciting life would think the nose hair burning smell of table food-created excrement is an “absolute greatest joy.”

  5. tracking says:

    Pretty sure she actually meant changing diapers feels never-ending and at times disgusting 😉 but nice that motherhood agrees with her.

  6. Patricia says:

    She was really amazing in Under the Skin. I don’t see those Marvel films giving her the same opportunity to show her skills. She gave a compelling understated performance in Under the Skin.

  7. Micki says:

    Greatest joy is a strong espresso with a drop of a good cognak.
    Dirty diaper is a dirty diaper.

  8. Angry Cookie says:

    What on earth is her husband WEARING?
    Hipsters gonna hipst, but he certainly took it to the extreme.

    • ari says:

      HIPSTERS GONNA HIPST

      thank you for that 🙂

      • Kiliki says:

        This website is so amazing. Best writing, great commenters, really brings the smiles.

        It’s been such a shi day. I cried nearly all day.

  9. Twinky says:

    She looks absolutely stunning in that last pic sitting in the aqua dress. And the diaper comment sounds like sarcasm to me. That’s all I’ve got!

  10. Myrna says:

    She’s got a dry sense of humor, so, yeah, she was being sarcastic re the diapers.

    There’s such a glow about her that reminds me of the old movie stars of days gone by.
    I admire her, find her beautiful and incredibly talented.

    I’m not sure what the situation is with her husband, but I’ve read reports that they are on the rocks, which is a downer.
    I’ve been rooting for her especially since she had a child that she’d find someone for the long run.

  11. Coconut says:

    22 months old? Old enough to be using a potty.