Scarlett Johansson opens up about "Asteroid City," her skincare line and marriage

Come and get it! Oh, here we go. It's so great having you here, North. I've always wanted a brother to throw to. Yeah, now I have two big brothers to look out for me. Oh my God, that is you, Scarlett Johansson. You're doing your first movie role. Why? Why do you have to play that? We had a feeling you might react to it. Because we saw the talent there. Great movie, by the way. Great movie. 1994, almost 30 years ago. Blast from the very distant past. And guess what? Since then you've become, and this is true, the highest grossing actress of all time. That's an incredible fact. Really? Yes. Scarlett Johansson stars in director Wes Anderson's newest movie. It's called Asteroid City. It's a story that follows attendees at a Stargazer convention as their lives converge in a desert town in 1955. Johansson plays Midge Campbell, a movie icon. Hello. We met before. I'm the mother of that cookie trooper who idolizes you. I know. Thought you might not recognize me out of uniform. You were very good in the one about the tramp in the brothel who gets amnesia and becomes a pediatrician. You were very authentic. Actually, maybe my favorite character ever. I don't know why nobody else liked it. Yes. Me neither. Thank you. Some people liked it. Oh, I'm sure I did. Some people liked it. A lot of people did like it. A lot of people liked this as well. Scarlett Johansson joins us now first on CBS Mornings. Thank you very much for being here. Thank you for having me. The world of Asteroid City is so bizarre but amazing at the same time. And I love spending, what, 90 minutes, two hours in it? And your character, Midge, is unique. Movie icon, which you are as well. Highest grossing actress of all time. What was it like going from real movie icon into this version of it? I really loved playing Midge Campbell. She is a, you know, movie star. She is someone who is used to being in the spotlight. She's very comfortable taking long pauses and just letting it all, you know, kind of settle. She's not in a rush. You helped create the role with Wes. What does that mean? Well, you know, I mean, I got the script from Wes. It was actually during the whole kind of shutdown, lockdown. So I was pretty thrilled to be getting anything to read at all. It felt like a hopeful something. And, you know, it's, the film is very, the story is very complex. And so I had a lot of questions about, I'm playing an actor, playing an actor, preparing a role. And who is Midge Campbell? What kind of, you know, what is her reality? What kind of a movie star is she? And so we sort of settled on a kind of Bette Davis type, you know, that sort of illustrious career. You know, she's got that kind of presence about her. So a couple times, Scarlett, don't be upset, but I got confused a little bit as I was watching. Yeah, confused. Just gotta let it wash over you. Yeah, yeah. I mean, but I look at the cast because it's Tom Hanks, it's Steve Carell, it's Bryan Cranston. Star-studded. The sheer tonnage of talent is amazing. That was also part of the fun for me, was watching who's gonna pop up next. And then, you know, to figure out what the storyline was. Do you think it's supposed to be kind of circus-y in a way, was it? It is, it's a little bit of a circus. So it's not just me. No, it's definitely, you know, I think it's a, it's a kind of screenshot into Wes's brain now. You know, I think it's very much a culmination of his career, where he's at in his life. You know, it was something that we came out of the quarantine time as well. So you see some of that reflected in the film. It is, it's sort of a existential film, I would say. Did you have fun doing it? I loved doing it. You did? And when you talk about all the incredible talent in it. You know, we really worked in this bubble, which is how Wes likes to work anyway. And so we all stayed in this, in this kind of inn together. And the whole place was locked down. So, you know, at any moment, you'd see Willem Dafoe at the cappuccino maker. Or we'd be running on the treadmill and Jeff Goldblum would be on the Stairmaster. It was really surreal and amazing. That's amazing. The movie's also surreal and amazing. On this show, Nate Brilson over here, he makes a lot of jokes. Funny guy. I do a lot of laughing. Also, sometimes with the compliments, he's a little over the top, a little cringe, right? So the cringing and the laughing, it's 90% laughing. It leads to some lines here on my face. Can you help, Scarlett? I can! You've got a one-year anniversary here on the skincare line. Yes, yes. It's our one-year anniversary of The Outset. Yes, it is my passion project. Is it? It is, it is. I worked for five years developing this skincare line. And I had acne-prone skin growing up and all through my 20s. I know, because I use The Outset. Only The Outset, I really do. And it's through that process of just trial and error where I discovered, okay, if I can just let my skin heal itself. I mean, it was before we knew about the skin barrier and all of that stuff. And I just started using really gentle products that brought the moisture back into my face. And that's when my skin started healing itself. And that is what The Outset is all about. Is that what that bottle is? It is. I have an expression line, cream for you. Oh, lovely. There you go. When my wife found out this was happening, though, she wanted to see if you have any samples of the Firming Vegan Collagen Serum. Yes, I definitely do. That is, yeah, that's our best seller. I use it all, like, I use it all day, actually. My skin's addicted to it. In addition to your skincare line, because I want a bottle of that, too, what does it mean when you hear that you are the highest-grossing actress of all time? Does that come with a belt or, like, a mug? I'm pretty sure I'm going to get some text message from Sam Jackson that'll be like, No, no, no, no, no, wait a minute. Yes, I think he's the number one. Oh, I guess I'm maybe the actress. Yeah, the actress. It has that. But I will say, you have Tom Hanks beat, according to the numbers, so is that something you bring up with him? I'm going to start doing that now. Let's text him now and see how he feels about it. Before we let you go, I have to ask about marriage. Your husband, Colin Jost. Yes, Colin Jost, yes. If you can give some advice, what would you say is the secret to a good, successful, healthy marriage? Oh, my gosh. I don't profess to know anything about that, but I will say, I mean, my partner and I, we have such a, we laugh a lot. Yeah, that's good. And we always, you know, we communicate with one another and check in. You know, I'm married to a writer. He's a comedy writer. He can get, like, very in his head. Sometimes he's sort of introverted. I'm extroverted, obviously. And so I think the key for us is just always checking in and, you know, ask at the end of the day, how was your day? How are you doing? Screen's going to go black. That's what it's all about. It's the movie. Take a look at it. We'll see you tomorrow.