Scarlett Johansson talks about acne struggles, early career experiences in Hollywood

Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson reflected on what it was like growing up in the spotlight, especially during the early 2000s when she was just a teenager.

In an interview last Sunday, April 12, on "CBS Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley,"Johansson, 41, opened up about her new skincare brand, her long acting career, and her personal struggles with sensitive skin and acne.

She began, “I grew up, I have very sensitive skin, I had acne skin, and then I think at some point it sort of switched for me where I was like, ‘I'm now going to have acne and wrinkles. This is my skin forever.’”

She explained that the common mindset around acne was that people assumed it meant “dirty skin” that needed constant “cleaning and resurfacing.” That approach only made things worse, leaving her stuck in a cycle of breakouts and dryness.

When asked how it affected her confidence, she admitted she was “incredibly self-conscious.”

“If you've had skin sensitivity, you know how it feels. Your skin is the first thing that people notice about you. It's that first impression that you make. And I feel like if you have something going on with your skin that is making you feel self-conscious about yourself, it can really affect your self-confidence,” she explained.

On set, she said she constantly had to cover up breakouts, redness, and dry patches. “It’s a lot of effort, and it weighs on you,” she added, describing the pressure of needing to appear flawless every day.

She recalled dealing with skin issues as early as 12, during the filming of "The Horse Whisperer," when a makeup artist once commented on her acne: “Oh, you've got, like Mount Vesuvius on your forehead.” As a preteen, moments like that were difficult and heightened her self-consciousness.

The conversation also turned to her early career, where Johansson acknowledged the strong focus on her physical appearance. “As growing up in the entertainment industry and then being a 20 year old woman in the early 2000s, in the spotlight, it was a really harsh time,” adding that women were often judged heavily for how they looked.

Roles for young women were limited. “It was tough. It was much slimmer than it is now. I think there's much more empowering roles available to young actors now than when I was in my twenties, it was like slim pickings, I would say.”

To break out of that pattern, she turned to theater work in New York, which allowed her to explore different roles and grow as an actress.

“And also just learning to be okay with waiting for the right roles to come and just not feeling like this pressure to work and just being okay with the quieter moments. It's something that I learned over time, but it's hard. It's a big adjustment.”

Johansson began acting in the 1990s, making an early appearance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and building a career as a child actor.

She later established herself  with films like "Lost in Translation" and "Girl with a Pearl Earring," and has remained one of Hollywood’s top stars with roles in "Marriage Story," "Lucy," and "The Avengers" series, including "Black Widow."