Actor Scarlett Johansson says the roles offered to women in Hollywood at present depict them in powerful positions, compared to the ones she would get in her initial days, which usually centred around their "own desirability or male gaze".

Johansson made her film acting debut as a child actor in the 1994 comedy "North". She is well known for essaying Black Widow in Marvel films and also has projects such as "Lost in Translation" and "Her" to her credit.

The 40-year-old actor, who recently became director with her film "Eleanor the Great", said the messaging of current women's roles is different.

"The messaging is different — there are many more role models, women are visible in powerful positions and the opportunities I have had to play women who don’t have to just be one thing or another have increased," she told The Times of London in an interview.

"But when I was younger, a lot of the roles I was offered, or I went for, had their ambitions or character arcs revolving around their own desirability, or the male gaze, or a male-centred story. That is less frequent, though — something has shifted," she added.

Johansson's latest work is "Fly Me to the Moon". Released in 2024, the film was directed by Greg Berlanti. It also featured Channing Tatum in the lead role.

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