The 5 Roles You Forgot Scarlett Johansson Played Before Black Widow

Ok, so we all know that Scarlett Johansson has a bit of controversy attached to her name with her casting in Ghost in the Shell, but regardless of your opinion on that, she is without question one of the biggest names in Hollywood. A great deal of that fame came thanks to her portrayal of the Russian super-spy Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When she first appeared in Iron Man 2 we were floored and immediately fell in love, because come on; she's a freaking bad-ass!

She captured our attention and has held it for the last 6 years, and we're hoping (at least I know I am) for a solo Black Widow film, and Marvel seems pretty keen on making it happen after Phase 3 possibly. So that's awesome and everything, but probably not what you came here for. So as I said above, Scarlett Johansson is probably most widely known for her role in the MCU, but before that she had a few roles that you may not have realized (or remember) that was her. Here are 5 of those movies:

Eight Legged Freaks (2001)

When your town is overrun by hundreds of mutant, blood-thirsty spiders, I couldn’t imagine anyone I’d rather have by my side than Scarlett Johansson. …Well, I could probably think of a few people I’d want there, but nevertheless in Eight Legged Freaks we got to see Scarlett step into the horror-comedy genre by portraying Ashley Parker, the daughter of the sheriff of a small rural mining town that gets overrun by the mutated spiders thanks to an unfortunate chemical spill.

Ghost World (2001)

As some point we all were either outsiders, or knew someone who was an outsider. In Ghost World we meet Enid and Rebecca, two social outcasts who are trying to find their place in the world. Scarlett plays Rebecca who through the movie transitions to a more normal routine of: work, clothes, boys and everything else you’d imagine. While her best friend Enid doesn't quite fall into the norm as easily as Rebecca.

The Horse Whisperer (1998)

While out for a horseback ride with her best friend, Grace, played by Scarlett, is scarred by the events of one fateful night after being hit by a truck. She faces the torment of having her friend die and struggles to regain her joy of riding and reconnect with her beloved horse, Pilgrim. Grace and her mother travel to Montana to meet the “horse whisperer” in the hopes that both Pilgrim and Grace can have their souls healed after that horrible night.

The Perfect Score (2004)

If only getting the perfect score was as simple as the crew of this movie make it out to be. Starring Scarlett Johansson opposite her Captain America co-star Chris Evans, we find this team of six high school students trying to gain the perfect SAT score, only to realize that there is more to their future than a single test score.

Home Alone 3 (1997)

Young Alex Pruitt finds himself warding off four high-tech industrial spies working for a North Korean terrorist group, as they look for a stolen microchip that they hid in a toy RC car. Alex sets countless traps and faces the criminals alone until the FBI arrives; guided by Alex’s family. His older sister Molly is played by a much younger Scarlett Johansson.

Maybe you knew all these films, but possibly there's one you forgot. Either way, these films led the way for Scarlett Johansson to earn roles in countless other movies over the years and I'm sure we can all agree that more Scarlett is never a bad thing.