Long before becoming the legendary Black Widow in the MCU and establishing herself as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Scarlett Johansson starred at just 13 years old in a Robert Redford film. It was the role that revealed her.
In 1998, the general public discovered a very young actress of 13 years old and already endowed with immense talent. It was in The Horse Whisperer, a pure melodrama directed by Robert Redford, who plays the role of Tom Booker, a cowboy and Zen master from Montana.
Tom helps Grace – the revelation Scarlett Johansson, then aged 13 – a somewhat boyish teenager and her horse, Pilgrim, to overcome the trauma of a riding accident which led to the amputation of part of her leg.
Based on Nicholas Evans’ 1995 best-selling novel, the film is the first to feature Redford on both sides of the camera. It was also Scarlett Johansson’s first leading role in a studio film. She was previously nominated for a Spirit Award for the 1996 independent film Manny & Lo.
Already impressive
The film received good reviews with an average of 73% positive reviews on the American site Rotten Tomatoes. The Hollywood Reporter called it “of vital and subtle history” and named its leading trio – Kristin Scott Thomas rounds out the cast as Grace’s workaholic mother – as its best assets.”Johansson is a winner“, the review notes. “She earns our sympathy as a young girl whose future has been horribly altered.”
Richard LaGravanese, who co-wrote the screenplay (he also adapted On the Road to Madison in 1995), states that Johansson “brings to the role a heartache that seems to come from an experience beyond his years.”
It is true that Scarlett Johansson brings an impressive gravity and authenticity for such a young actress. Long before being reduced by Hollywood to a sex symbol, the young woman demonstrated her ability to compose a character from A to Z. In The Horse Whisperer, her performance is simply overwhelming.
The Man Who Whispered Horses is currently available on Disney+.
