Scarlett Johansson, who has spent over two decades navigating the unforgiving glare of the spotlight, admits there is one teenage mistake she desperately hopes remains buried in the past. The highly private star confesses that her teenage smoking habit is something she is “ashamed” of, a vice she never wants her children to associate with her image of “cool.”The revelation highlights the universal dilemma faced by modern parents: reconciling an imperfect past with the desire to set a flawless example for the next generation.
The Confession: “I’m So Ashamed”
The Black Widow star made the candid admission during an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show . When asked to share something she hopes her children would “never find out” about her, Johansson immediately named a habit prevalent during her formative years: teenage smoking.
“I used to smoke when I was younger and I’m so embarrassed,” Johansson confessed. She is mother to daughter Rose (shared with ex-husband Romain Dauriac) and son Cosmo (shared with husband Colin Jost).Her deepest concern is that her children might perceive the habit as acceptable. “I just don’t want her to ever think that I ever thought it was cool ’cause she can never, ever, ever smoke. So yeah, I just hope she never figures that out.”
A Hero’s Fear: Normalizing a Vice
For the actress, who built an action career based on physical resilience in films like the MCU’s Black Widow series (playing Natasha Romanoff), the habit represents a significant vulnerability and health risk she is determined to protect her young children from. The fear extends beyond mere exposure; as a highly visible star and a hero to many children, she worries that her past actions might inadvertent normalize a dangerous vice.
Other Teenage Scars: Skin Picking and Piercings
While the smoking habit is her greatest secret worry, Johansson has been openly transparent about other relatable teenage flaws that still serve as physical or psychological scars today, grounding the global icon in genuine human experience.
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Compulsive Skin Picking: She confessed to struggling with a compulsive habit of picking at her skin in her youth, noting, “I wish I didn’t pick my skin so much when I was younger, I could’ve avoided so much scarring and drama.”
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Piercing Phase: She also regretted a passing teenage trend, joking that she had an “unfortunate eyebrow piercing when I was 15, which luckily my body rejected.”
These minor, physical regrets underscore the broader narrative of the “Black Widow” star’s journey from an imperfect, experimenting teenager to one of Hollywood’s highest-paid and most fiercely protective mothers. The actress knows that being a public figure means her past is easily searchable. For now, she’s relying on a parent’s best tool—jokingly calling it a “forbid” strategy—to guide her children, Rose and Cosmo, away from the vices she once embraced.