Scarlett Johansson recalls being 'pulled apart' over looks as young actress

Scarlett Johansson has recalled how she received "harsh" criticism over her looks as a young actress.

In an interview for CBS Sunday Morning this week, the Black Widow actress was asked to reflect on the ways Hollywood has changed in recent years.

To begin, Scarlett described how women in the entertainment business were "pulled apart" over their appearances in the early 2000s, with such behaviour "socially acceptable at the time".

"It was such another time too. I think growing up in the entertainment industry, and then being a woman, a 20-something-year-old woman in the early 2000s, in the spotlight in general, it was just a really harsh time," she commented. "Women were just pulled apart for how they looked in a way that was socially acceptable at the time. It was tough. There was a lot placed on how women looked. What was offered at that time for women my age, as far as acting roles or opportunities, was much slimmer than it is now."

The Academy Award-nominated star went on to note that there are "much more empowering roles" for actresses now and joked that she had "slim pickings" as a young woman.

"You would get really pigeon-holed and offered the same (roles)," the 41-year-old continued. "It would be like the other woman, or the side piece, the bombshell. That was the archetype that was prevalent when I was that age. It was kind of tricky to navigate around that."

Scarlett is next set to appear onscreen in Paper Tiger alongside Adam Driver and Miles Teller. She will also star in Mike Flanagan's reimagining of The Exorcist.