She made her film debut in the fantasy comedy North (1994), and gained early recognition for her roles in Manny & Lo (1996), The Horse Whisperer (1998), and Ghost World (2001). Johansson shifted to adult roles in 2003 with her performances in Lost in Translation, which won her a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, and Girl with a Pearl Earring. She was nominated for Golden Globe Awards for these films, and in A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004), and Match Point (2005). Other works during this period include The Prestige (2006) and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008).
In 2010, Johansson began playing the role of Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man 2. and went on to star in Her (2013), Under the Skin (2013), Lucy (2014), and Ghost in the Shell (2017). She received critical acclaim and two Academy Award nominations for playing an actress going through a divorce in the drama Marriage Story and a single mother in Nazi Germany in the satire Jojo Rabbit (both 2019).