Scarlett Johansson has once again reaffirmed her stance against social media, turning down a request from Universal Pictures to join Instagram as part of the promotional campaign for Jurassic World: Rebirth.
In a recent interview with InStyle, Johansson revealed that she was approached by the studio with an offer to create an Instagram account to coincide with the film’s release. “I mean, even today, I got an email from Universal, and they’re like, ‘Hey, would you consider joining Instagram in tandem with the release of Jurassic World: Rebirth?’ I get a lot of pressure to join social media,” she explained. However, Johansson quickly dismissed the idea, stating, “Is there a way I could do this and stay true to who I am? It didn’t feel like I could.”
The actress, who has largely avoided social media throughout her career, emphasized her belief that the success of a major franchise does not depend on her personal online presence. “If I was a person who really enjoyed social media, then I could totally get on the bandwagon. But I’m not. And I think the film will do fine.”
Johansson’s decision reflects a growing conversation in Hollywood about the role of social media in casting and marketing. Recently, Maya Hawke voiced concerns about the increasing influence of social media metrics on casting decisions, suggesting that an actor’s follower count has become an unofficial prerequisite for landing roles. Johansson, a veteran actress with a long-established career, has managed to maintain her relevance without engaging in online self-promotion, a rare stance in today’s entertainment industry.
Jurassic World: Rebirth marks the fourth installment in the modern Jurassic franchise, following Jurassic World: Dominion (2022). Directed by Gareth Edwards and written by David Koepp, the film features Johansson alongside Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey. The story takes place five years after the previous film, depicting a world where dinosaurs struggle to survive in an environment that has become inhospitable to them, with the exception of a tropical region near the equator where the creatures have congregated. A pharmaceutical company seeks to obtain genetic material from the three largest dinosaurs on land, in the sea, and in the air to develop a life-saving drug for humans.
Despite the growing trend of actors leveraging social media to engage with audiences and promote their projects, Johansson remains firm in her preference for keeping her professional work separate from the digital world. The actress has spoken openly about maintaining privacy in her personal life and has even refused to take photos with fans in public to avoid being constantly identified.
Beyond her resistance to social media, Johansson has been involved in other high-profile industry discussions, including a recent legal battle against OpenAI over the alleged unauthorized use of a voice resembling hers. Addressing this concern, she remarked, “Particularly with the A.I. piece. It was like: If that can happen to me, how are we going to protect ourselves from this? There’s no boundary here; we’re setting ourselves up to be taken advantage of.”
Johansson’s decision to stay off social media is unlikely to impact Jurassic World: Rebirth at the box office. The franchise has consistently performed as a commercial powerhouse, with each of the last three films surpassing $1 billion worldwide. Even Jurassic Park III (2001), the lowest-grossing entry in the franchise, earned nearly $400 million globally. With a well-established fan base and significant marketing resources, the film is expected to be a major summer release when it arrives in theaters on July 2, 2025.
