If you've been watching television lately, chances are you've been befuddled (as have we!) by the previews for "We Bought a Zoo"—a holiday feel-good sort of film about a motley crew of folks who set out to save a dilapidated zoo...only to find that (yep, you guessed it), it's really the zoo that saves them. But despite appearances, this isn't a Lifetime Original Movie; it's directed by Cameron Crowe and features a crazy A-list cast, including Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson. So when we sat down with Scarlett to talk about the soon-to-be-released film (out December 23), Josh Horowitz had to ask: What's with the zoo movie?
Turns out, Scarlett was thrilled to take on a role that's totally opposite her image of the sultry, sexy leading lady. Why? Well, for one:
"It means you can eat more," she said.
Well...okay, no, actually that's one of the most compelling reasons to play a non-sexy role we've ever heard. But the actress had much more to say about changing things up for a movie, explaining, "One of the big draws of doing this film was exactly that. I was not playing a girl who was always a bridesmaid, never a bride, or looking for a husband, or the other woman. [My character] is a very practical, salt of the earth, motivated, independent woman."
And don't be surprised if it happens again: "And I find as I get older, it's nice to move away from that ingenue category. It's nice to be able to transition into women who come with a history."
That said, Scarlett has a bone to pick with the proud Cameron Crowe tradition of pairing pretty young ladies with floundering, damaged men in the midst of a mid-life crisis. And she wasn't afraid to say that in this way, she most certainly doesn't resemble her character.
"That sounds horrible!" she laughed, then named off the Crowe criteria for a romantic leading man: "Are you in between jobs? Are you broken from a previous relationship? Do you need dental work? ... No, not at all. I look for confidence and wit and charm."
That sound you hear is the shattering hearts of emotionally damaged, unemployed, snaggle-toothed readers everywhere. Sorry, guys!
Will you be checking out Scarlett's turn in "We Bought a Zoo"? Tell us in the comments and on Twitter!
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