Scarlett Johansson, a two-time Oscar nominee, has officially dismissed an old rumor alleging an intimate encounter in an elevator with her Avengers: Infinity War co-star, Benicio del Toro. While not explicitly naming him, the 37-year-old actress addressed the long-standing gossip during TheSkimm's 9 to 5ish podcast streaming on Tuesday at 9 pm EST.
"That was a story that followed me for a long time," Johansson explained. "But I always thought that was outrageous. I was always thinking to myself, 'That would be tough. It's a very short period, and the logistics of that seem so unappealing to me.'"
Expressing her apprehension about being caught doing something she shouldn't, Johansson found the story even more absurd. The elevator rumor, initially traced back to an Esquire interview with the 55-year-old Oscar winner Benicio del Toro, saw him acting coy when questioned about the alleged incident.
Addressing the elevator speculation, Benicio del Toro ambiguously stated, "Did I ever have an encounter in an elevator with Scarlett Johansson after an awards show? I kind of like, you know, I, well. I don't know. Let's leave that to somebody's imagination. Let's not promote it. I'm sure it has happened before. It might not be the last time either."
Apart from dispelling rumors, Scarlett Johansson also discussed her eco-conscious skincare company, The Outset, co-founded earlier this year with Kate Foster Lengyel. Johansson praised the industry's warmth and transparency, contrary to her initial expectations of it being cutthroat.
The Outset is set to be available at Sephora stores starting April 26, with 10% of sales (up to $25K) in the current month being donated to areas affected by California wildfires.
On the professional front, Johansson is gearing up to executive produce and co-star with Chris Evans in Jason Bateman's space race film, Project Artemis, securing a $100M distribution deal with AppleTV+. Additionally, she reunited with Bill Murray for Wes Anderson's Asteroid City, alongside an ensemble cast including Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Margot Robbie, and others, which recently wrapped.
In her personal life, Scarlett Johansson, a native New Yorker, is a mother of two—daughter Rose Dorothy Dauriac, 7, and son Cosmo Jost, 8 months—from her marriages to ex-husband Romain Dauriac and current husband Colin Jost. The 39-year-old Emmy nominee is also actively involved in Saturday Night Live, serving as co-head writer and Weekend Update co-anchor in the show's 47th season, airing on NBC.
