Scarlett Johansson Says She & Noah Baumbach Almost Worked Together 10 Years Before 'Marriage Story'

It’s been almost 15 years since Noah Baumbach was nominated for his first (and only) Oscar for his screenplay for the film “The Squid and the Whale.” But going into this year’s awards season, it would appear that the filmmaker is destined to add some more nominations (and perhaps a win) for his upcoming film “Marriage Story.” And he’ll have to thank the beautiful work of Scarlett Johansson in the film for at least some of that recognition. It makes you wonder what might have happened if the two collaborated years before now?

Well, according to a new interview with Variety, Johansson revealed that she and Baumbach had plans to work together a decade ago. But for a variety of reasons, that project fell apart. And for Johnasson, she was convinced that her relationship with the director fell apart, as well.

“Probably 10 years ago, Noah and I tried to work on something else together,” revealed Johansson. “We kind of developed for a little bit, and then it didn’t end up being right, and by the time it was ready to shoot, I was kind of past it. It wasn’t the right fit.”

She continued, “I’m sure you’ve probably had that experience before, where you feel like maybe something didn’t work out professionally and you’re like: ‘Well, there goes that relationship.’”

Obviously, the relationship wasn’t destroyed by the fact that Baumbach and the actress couldn’t get together a decade prior. In the time since, Johansson went on to become a massive star thanks to her Marvel Studios work and Baumbach went on to release films such as “Frances Ha,” “Mistress America,” and “The Meyerowitz Stories.” And thankfully, for Johansson, it appears that Baumbach didn’t forget the actress.

“I was so surprised when he called me years later to meet and talk about something,” she said. “It totally came out of the blue. I met with him in New York, and it was like no time had passed at all. We kind of shifted right into this moment where he pitched me this story a little bit, and I myself was actually in the middle of going through a divorce. It was such a strange coincidence.”

It appears, from the early buzz at least, that the wait paid off for both the director and the actress, as “Marriage Story” has emerged as one of the front-runners coming into awards season. The story of two adults dealing with a tumultuous divorce was one of the early festival standouts this year and has earned rave reviews for both Johansson and Baumbach.

“Marriage Story” is now in select theaters and will arrive on Netflix on December 6.