The actress defends her long-standing rule, saying she’s a “private person” despite fan outrage.

Scarlett Johansson isn’t backing down on her long-standing rule that has left some fans feeling offended for years. In a candid interview with InStyle magazine’s March 2025 issue, the 40-year-old actress opened up about setting firm boundaries between her private and public life—especially when it comes to interacting with fans and protecting her children.

“The idea of being recognisable and celebrated feels fun, but then you can never stuff it back in the bottle,” Johansson explained. She acknowledged that fame comes with significant downsides, particularly when it affects her family. “The reality of it is, there’s a massive loss to [fame], you know? So I think preserving that for as long as possible until it’s someone’s choice, that’s the choice I make as far as my kids go.”

The Black Widow star, who shares a 10-year-old daughter, Rose, with ex-husband Romain Dauriac and a 3-year-old son, Cosmo, with current husband Colin Jost, has always maintained a firm stance against exposing her children to public scrutiny.

However, her strict approach to privacy doesn’t just apply to her kids—it extends to her everyday encounters with fans. Johansson admitted that she refuses to take photos with admirers in public, a stance that has upset many over the years.

“It really offends a lot of people,” she admitted. “It doesn’t mean I’m not appreciative, of course, that people are fans or happy to see me. But I always say to people, ‘I’m not working.’”

The Her actress elaborated on her reasoning: “I don’t want to be identified as being in this time and place with you. I’m doing my own thing.”

Despite the backlash, Johansson remains firm in her decision, prioritising her personal space over fan expectations.

Elsewhere in the interview, she reflected on how her past relationships with Hollywood heartthrobs contributed to public scrutiny over her love life.

“When I was younger, I dated actors that had heartthrob status. That is, to me, scary. I don’t have that level. Fan crush-dom can be really hard,” she revealed.

Johansson was previously married to actor Ryan Reynolds before moving on to Dauriac and, later, Jost. While she has embraced many aspects of fame, she continues to draw a clear line when it comes to her personal life—a stance that, whether fans like it or not, isn’t changing anytime soon.