The still unsolved murder of wannabe actress Elizabeth Short provides the backdrop for The Black Dahlia, the big screen adaptation of James Ellroy's bestselling novel. Nicknamed The Black Dahlia after she was found brutally murdered in January 1947, this latest film about her tragic death focuses on two cops, Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) and his partner Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) who become obsessed with the case.
Scarlett Johansson co-stars as Kay Lake, the girlfriend of Lee and the woman who steals Bucky's heart.
Scarlett Johansson on Collaborating with Brian De Palma: Of course we talked about the character in regards to different scenes and that kind of thing, but Brian [De Palma] has a real respect for the time and space that an actor needs to prepare for something, explained Johansson.
He was never overly personal about where I was getting my inspiration from or anything like that, and always very supportive if I felt that I needed something more. We could be wrapping up the whole set, and I would say, 'Brian, I think that I need to do that take again.' He'd be like, 'All right, boys, bring everything back in.' He was really good about that, but we never went too much into depth about the character, no.
Johansson didnt go into The Black Dahlia with any preconceived notions about De Palma. When I [became] involved with the project, I was originally excited just hearing that Brian had a film that he was directing with two female roles. I've always wanted to work with him and have been a huge fan of his.
I met with Brian, I had read the script and was very attracted to the character of Kay, so I met with him and I tried to convince him that I could play this character that I'm completely physically wrong for and he bought it. So that was good.
I never have any preconceived notion of people because I find that they always prove you wrong or are surprising.
I expected a certain kind of darkness about him, a certain kind of roughness about him, I guess, and I was surprised to find out that he's a very funny guy. He's very funny. One thing that didn't surprise me about Brian is that he's really cut and dry. He's never going to beat you around the block regarding anything. He's never wishy-washy about anything, which is such a relief.
The Relationship Between Kay and Her Two Cops: Johanssons character Kay is with one man but wants another. How did the actress view the relationship between her character and Bucky [Josh Hartnett] and Lee [Aaron Eckhart]? Johansson answered, I don't know. I guess it's that classic thing of you always want what you don't have. But, I mean, at the same time the relationship between Lee and Kay is so complex. As Bucky says, 'Whether she saved him or he saved her, who knows?' I'm paraphrasing that, but you don't really know if they ever had a real physical relationship. If they did, it's not happening anymore. It's almost like a relationship that elderly people would have in that it's a real co-dependent relationship and a real true love for one another - almost like a brother and a sister in a way. So when she meets Bucky and she realizes that she has this sort of passionate interest for him, I believe that it's kind of easier for Lee to give her up to that because he sees that there is a sort of true love there or the possibility of a real healthy relationship with someone.
Scarlett Johansson on Getting Into Character: Luckily I had what a lot of actors don't have which is the source, having the book. I mean, you read a script and you interpret the character's emotions through their actions and their words, but I had the perspective of Bucky's character looking in on Kay. I really used that as the beginning source to find the character.
The Fashions of the 1940s: Johansson says she had some input into her characters physical appearance. As far as the physical appearance of the character, I really wanted her to look nothing like Hilary's [Swank] character or the Dahlia. We thought that we would dress her in cream and beige and things that were soft, because Hilary's character is so kind of hard and really a glam vixen.
Johansson continued, Of course for me getting to play a woman during that period and the makeup and the hair and the costumes and the cars and the sets was all very glamorous and fun. I've always kind of had an affinity for that period. I got to wear a lot of beautiful vintage pieces. They built a beautiful wardrobe for me so that was a lot of fun.
Page 2: Johansson on Film Noir, Hollywood, and The Nanny Diaries
