Scarlett Johansson just admitted the one thing money can’t buy her, even with a $165M fortune
An honest take.
Scarlett Johansson just admitted the one thing money can’t buy her, even with a $165 million fortune, and it’s something most of us can relate to. The Hollywood superstar revealed that a healthy work-life balance remains out of reach, no matter how much success or wealth she accumulates.
According to Us Weekly, Johansson, who’s the second highest-grossing actor of all time behind Zoe Saldaña, opened up about the struggle during a recent interview on CBS Sunday Morning. “I think actually admitting that there is no work-life balance is the first step to kind of getting there in a way because it’s just not possible,” she said. “There’s always something that is a deficit in some area, and I’ve learned to be more kind to myself in that way.”
The 41-year-old mom of two has built an impressive career, from her early days in Lost in Translation to her iconic role as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But she’s learned that money can’t solve the universal challenge of balancing ambition with personal life. “You can’t do all these things all the time,” she admitted. “There’s just like, ‘Is it good enough?’”
Johansson has juggled blockbuster films, a skincare empire, and motherhood
Her skincare brand, The Outset, which she launched in 2022, was actually inspired by her kids. She noticed how much more aware young people are about skincare today. She’s made sure her daughter Rose only uses products without harsh chemicals, encouraging her to make “conscious choices” about what she puts on her skin. “I’m like, ‘You have beautiful baby skin. Just be gentle on it like you would for the rest of your body,’” Johansson said.
Her husband, Colin Jost, has even played a role in her business ventures. In the early days of The Outset, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Johansson used Jost as her “guinea pig” for new products. “He used his products, he had his routine, but it was helpful to have somebody that didn’t necessarily have a 14-step skincare routine to try stuff out on,” she recalled.
Johansson’s journey to this level of fame and financial security wasn’t always smooth. She grew up in Manhattan in a family of six. They relied on welfare and food stamps to get by. By 9, she was already acting, landing her first role in the 1994 comedy North. Her breakout came with Lost in Translation, and from there, her career skyrocketed. In 2025, she was the fourth-highest paid actor, according to Forbes, behind Adam Sandler, Tom Cruise, and Mark Wahlberg.
Many other high achievers share her idea on work-life balance
Emma Watson, best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, has spoken about how the demands of filmmaking made balance feel nearly unattainable. “I just used to completely sacrifice myself for whatever the thing was I was trying to achieve,” Watson has said, according to Fortune. “Making films, the hours on them are so demanding, that to have your own life alongside that, to have that balance is almost impossible.”
Even outside of Hollywood, the idea that extraordinary success requires extraordinary effort is a common theme. Emma Grede, the CEO of Good American and a founding partner of Skims, said, “If you are leading an extraordinary life, to think that extraordinary effort wouldn’t be coupled to that somehow is crazy,” she said. “If it’s possible to have true work-life balance, tell me who she is, and I’ll show you a liar.”
Former President Barack Obama has echoed similar sentiments. He has said that being excellent at anything often means going through periods where balance is impossible. “There’s going to be times in your life when you’re out of balance, where you’re just working and you’re single-minded,” he said. It’s a reality that resonates with anyone who’s ever poured their heart into a project, only to look up and realize they’ve neglected other parts of their life.
Johansson’s perspective on parenting is particularly relatable too
“Somebody once told me, ‘If you’re successful as a parent like 75% of the time, that’s good – if you’re doing 75% of it like right, then you’re winning,’” she said. That kind of self-compassion is something we could all use a little more of, especially when we’re constantly comparing ourselves to unrealistic standards.
So what’s the takeaway from Johansson’s admission? Maybe it’s that work-life balance isn’t about achieving some perfect equilibrium. It’s about acknowledging the trade-offs, being kind to yourself when things don’t go as planned, and recognizing that even the most successful people struggle with the same things we do. Money can buy a lot of things but it can’t buy the one thing we all seem to be chasing: a life where everything fits neatly into place.
(Featured image: Gage Skidmore)
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