Scarlett Johansson has said being “comfortable” with Adam Driver helped while working on their new film Paper Tiger.
The pair previously starred as a married couple in the middle of divorce proceedings in the 2019 film Marriage Story, which saw them each nominated for individual acting awards at the Oscars.
Seven years on, they are now playing in-laws in the crime drama Paper Tiger.
Film reunites Marriage Story co-stars
Written and directed by James Gray, the film also stars Miles Teller and follows a suburban American family who become entangled with the Russian mob.
Driver plays former police officer Gary Pearl, while Teller plays his younger brother Irwin, an engineer. Johansson stars as Hester Pearl, Irwin’s wife.
During a screening of the film at the BFI’s London Film Festival on Saturday, Johansson spoke about reuniting with Driver for the film.
Johansson on on-screen chemistry
“Our characters have a different relationship in this film of course because we are in-laws,” she said.
“I love Adam’s work so much and he is really one of my favourite actors and I think the comfortability we have from doing such intimate work before really pays off in this too.”
She added that Teller was “such a huge part of the dynamic”.
“The three of us work in a similar way and we are all friendly in a similar way, which adds to the intimacy you feel when you watch the movie,” she said.
Themes and plot details
Johansson went on to say the themes the film tackles were also “interesting and compelling” to her.
Meanwhile, Gray said his film was “all about trying to catch the American dream” in a period when “money became God”.
The synopsis for Paper Tiger teases: “When two brothers become entangled in a scheme that turns out to be too good to be true. As they try to navigate their way through the dangerous world of the Russian mafia, family bonds begin to fray with life-altering consequences.”
