Here's the most shocking thing I learned sitting down with Scarlett Johansson to discuss her latest movie, Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona: she's even more beautiful in person. Here's the second most shocking thing I learned sitting down with Scarlett Johansson: she's nothing like the press has made her sound. The 23-year-old actress might be one of the most articulate, composed interviews I've ever conducted; it felt eerily like what I imagined chatting with a screen idol of Hollywood yesteryear would have been like, back when stars knew how to conduct themselves with the press. This isn't to say she's the greatest interview I've ever had (that honor goes to Jack Black), the coolest (Quentin Tarantino), or the weirdest (Nick Nolte), but it definitely left me surprised by how poorly she's been represented by the media.

Cole Haddon: Woody Allen said yesterday that you can do anything as an actress, and you've certainly shown a willingness to take on a slew of different roles. Is there anything you're not anxious to try?

Scarlett Johansson: First of all, that's the highest compliment an actor can receive. You wish audiences would always feel that way. But no, there's nothing I wouldn't do. I want to do everything. That's the point. If you're playing the same thing over and over again, it gets boring. You want the all-new brain you morph into and become with each character. As an actor, you're always becoming an expert in something for two weeks. I remember when I did The Man Who Wasn't There, I had to learn how to play a Beethoven sonata. I was like, "Aghhh!" I had never touched [a piano] before.

CH: How different is the working experience on this movie after working so recently on two other pictures with him (Match Point and Scoop)?

SJ: Our friendship has become richer with every year. We have such a nice time working together. It's so nice to have that. It makes every day such a pleasure to come to set and see his smiling face. We've also formed such a comfortable relationship, we communicate almost silently as friends often do.

CH: The press were all over Vicky Cristina Barcelona when it began shooting, going on about a threesome between you, Javier Bardem, and Penelope Cruz. But now that I've seen it, it's obviously a lot tamer than those early reports.

SJ: Somebody said to me, "this has been billed as Woody Allen's steamiest film." I'm like, wait a minute -- Woody Allen's steamiest film? Those words together are so ridiculous. You'd think it was [Bernardo] Bertolucci or something.

CH: Can you talk about working with Frank Miller on The Spirit?

SJ: Working with Frank Miller was so exciting for me! He's so wonderful. He's such a visionary. Literally, he'll come in with a big board and lead you through the storyboard he's drawn out and everybody gets excited about the next shot. Then working with Sam Jackson, whom I love and always admired. He's so great to work with. I mean, what a co-star! I loved playing such a big character. The dialogue is so black and white. As an actor, as I said earlier, it's nice to play all of these different things. If I was just doing these green-screen movies or these independent movies, there'd just be no purpose to it.

Editor's Note: Film.com will be running a full review of Vicky Cristina Barcelona on Friday.

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