Why Scarlett Johansson Isn't Pitching Saturday Night Live Jokes to Husband Colin Jost
Live from Asteroid City, it's Scarlett Johansson!
The 38-year-old—who plays silver screen starlet Midge Campbell in the upcoming Wes Anderson film—shared a glimpse into her real-life process as an actress during an exclusive interview with E! News airing June 13. Though she often run lines with her husband, Saturday Night Live comedian Colin Jost, in preparation for roles, Scarlett admitted that keeping a straight face during practice is another story.
"Colin has his own interpretation," she explained. "He wants to give it his own flavor. I'm like, 'I don't need you to act, I just need you to say the lines!'"
Scarlett continued, "He also retains them—which is really a whole thing—so he'll say the lines to me weeks later."
And though Colin, 40, "does run jokes" by her as well, Scarlett said she's "not the person" to pitch him new material for SNL.
"I'll often be like, 'Well, that's too much,' and that's the one that gets the biggest laugh," she said, adding that she "couldn't" imagine being able to punch up Colin's jokes. "His brain is so primed for that." (For more with Scarlett, tune in to E! News tonight.)
Scarlett first met Colin in 2006, when she hosted SNL for the very first time. The two began dating more than a decade later, and tied the knot in October 2020.
The Black Widow actress gave birth to their son Cosmo in August 2021, before starting work on Asteroid City eight weeks later.
"I was able to bring our son Cosmo on set, which was so great," Scarlett, who is also mom to 8-year-old daughter Rose, recalled to E! News. "Everybody got to pass around this tiny, little baby."
She added, "It was a fun thing that brought everybody together."
Asteroid City hits New York City and Los Angeles June 16, and is in theaters everywhere on June 23.
(E! and Saturday Night Live are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
—Reporting by Joelle Garguilo
Watch E! News weeknights Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m., only on E!.
