In addition to being a talented and recognized actor, Scarlett Johansson also has a great sense of humor.
The vintage footage was shown to the 38-year-old Asteroid City star on Friday, Nov. 17, during her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. It included an interview she performed on the 2006 Oscar red carpet, which became viral later on due to circumstances behind her rather than anything the actress did.
Jimmy Fallon issued the following caveat prior to seeing the clip with Johansson: “This is real, take a look at this.”
In the video, Johansson is occupied conversing with an interviewer when a tall brunette and a man enter the picture; they move to walk behind the actress to avoid getting in the way of the cameras. The woman vanished from sight as fast as she entered the frame, and the man carried on.
Johansson stared at Fallon, stunned by what she had just witnessed, and exclaimed, “Oh my god, that is my mom.”
Fallon said nothing, keeping his jaw agape, as Johansson reiterated, “That’s my mom!”
The 49-year-old comic looked startled and said, “Wait, what?” to which Johansson fired back, “That’s my mom.”
She said, “That woman with the dark hair is my mother,” while Fallon played again the video. “That’s my mom.”
Johansson said, “I have been looking for her for, like, the last 15 years.”
The “disappearing” woman stunned Fallon and the rest of the world, but astute social media users soon deduced a plausible explanation for the popular video: an optical illusion.
“The woman just stops behind Scarlett Johansson,” one of the most popular comments stated. “She doesn’t disappear.”
“You can see he [the man that had been walking behind Johansson’s mother] turned to get [past] her and you can see the corner of her dress,” a TikToker said, confirming the notion.
Aside from spoiled jokes and unanswered questions, fans praised Johansson heartily, referring to her as a “good sport,” “iconic,” and someone who “understood the assignment.”
