Black Dahlia’ stars keep mystery blooming onscreen and off

[Bill5461]

‘By Stephen Schaefer
Boston Herald Entertainment Reporter

Thursday, September 14, 2006

VENICE, Italy - In the annals of filmmaking, the romance between Scarlett Johansson and her “Black Dahlia” co-star Josh Hartnett has none of the scandal associated with two beautiful people falling in love.

Both Hartnett, 28, and Johansson, 21, are free agents, unencumbered by spouses or children. Yet until the Venice Film Festival, where “The Black Dahlia” debuted (it opens tomorrow in theaters), they tried to keep their relationship, which began more than a year ago while filming in Bulgaria, out of the spotlight.

They continued to do so through opening night, never posing together, much less acting like a happy couple.
In Venice, Hartnett admiringly called her “a siren.” But asked to say more, he laughed, “Come on, guys, don’t get me into trouble here.”

For Manhattan-born and raised Johansson, who began acting at age 7, this is how it’s always been.

“Any invasion of my privacy is absolutely an invasion,” she said.

But when you’re playing a platinum blonde who oozes sex and echoes 1940s Sweater Girl Lana Turner and are paired with Hartnett’s Gable-like machismo, it’s obvious why people are curious.

“The Black Dahlia” is based on the notorious, unsolved 1947 Hollywood murder of starlet Elizabeth “Betty” Short as fictionalized in James Ellroy’s novel. Johansson is mysterious, sexy Kay Lake, and it was her idea to go platinum blond, even though Kay is a redhead in the book.

“It’s such a huge sort of story, so it’s so hard to say who Kay is,” Johansson said. “It’s very kind of twisted. We discover she is this sort of ex-prostitute who has been beaten and saved by this guy.”

Is sexy Kay a good girl or a bad girl then?

“Oh, she’s good! I think she’s not innocent in any way at all; she’s a survivor.”

And a tiger - witness what happens when she and Hartnett get carried away on a dining room table.

Did she worry whether anyone would notice her acting there?

“I never think about those things,” she said. “Of course, it’s nice to be considered sexy as a young woman in my prime.”

As to what moviegoers who groove on hip-hop and Nelly Furtado will make of “Dahlia’s” ’40s trappings: “Sex and violence is nothing new to the audience today,” Hartnett said. “So hopefully they can take something done in a new style - which is really reminiscent of an old style.”

“That’s what’s exciting about it,” Johansson said. “It introduces a genre of film to an audience, and hopefully it will open a whole library of films they might want to see.”

[lovely_disaster]

thanks for the article bill. great read

[yanjonm]

I got free tickets to see this movie on Saturday. I can't wait.

[BlackWolf]

Very cool, thanks Bill