Scarlett Johansson Opens Up About Protecting Her Kids' Privacy
“The anonymity of my children is very precious to me.”
Despite her A-list status, Scarlett Johansson has managed to keep her two children — 10-year-old Rose (whom she shares with her ex-husband Romain Dauriac), and 3-year-old Cosmo (whom she shares with her husband Colin Jost) — out of the public eye. During an InStyle cover story, published March 11, the actor opened up about protecting her kids’ privacy and maintaining their “anonymity.”
In the piece, Johansson talked about the perception that she prefers to keep her private life behind closed doors. “But if anyone knows me, I definitely over-share. I'm not a closed book, you know?” she told the outlet. “No. I'm politically active and vocal about it. But I am a private person in the sense that I value my close friendships. My family is very precious to me, as is their privacy.”
Johansson continued, “The anonymity of my children is very precious to me. I was talking to my daughter the other day, because she said, ‘Oh, I would love to make videos for The Outset.’” (The Outset is Johansson’s skin care brand.) Johansson was not supportive of the idea. “She was like, ‘Why can't I?’ And I said, ‘Well, other than the fact that you're 10…’” she recalled.
According to the Asteroid City actor, giving up privacy is a “massive loss.” She continued, “The thing about being a public figure is that the idea of being recognizable and celebrated feels fun, but then you can never stuff it back in the bottle.”
Johansson said, “The reality of it is, there’s a massive loss to that, you know? So I think preserving that for as long as possible until it’s someone's choice, that’s the choice I make as far as my kids go.”
“I want to go and buy my own sh*t at Duane Reade,” she added.
The star also implements another privacy-protection policy: not taking photos with fans if she is not at an event. “It really offends a lot of people. It doesn't mean I'm not appreciative, of course, that people are fans, or happy to see me. But I always say to people, ‘I'm not working.’ [And that means] I don't want to be identified as being in this time and place with you. I'm doing my own thing,” she said.
