This weekend, Scarlett Johansson returns to the screen for Ghost in the Shell.
The release comes after months of controversy surrounding Rupert Sanders casting Johansson in the lead of his live-action adaption of Japanese artist Masamune Shirow’s manga series by the same name. 
Johansson addressed the backlash in a recent interview. “Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive,” she said. 
“Also, having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity. Certainly, I feel the enormous pressure of that—the weight of such a big property on my shoulders.” 
And as for Sanders, he is standing by his decision. “I was flattered and honored that she would be in this film,” he said. 
“I think, certainly people who were around the original anime have been vehemently in support of her because she’s incredible and there are very few like her.” That’s for sure. Here, five things you may not have known about Scarlett Johansson.
