Scarlett Johansson was left at home in New York after a film studio refused to pay for the star’s bloated demands to attend the Cannes Film Festival to launch Woody Allen’s latest movie.
Penelope Cruz and Rebecca Hall, her co-stars in the film ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’, soaked up all the glory from crowds as they ascended the fabled red carpet of Cannes.
It must have been pretty galling for Johansson, 23, when reports trickled back to the U.S. about the ten minute standing ovation the film received Saturday night after the black-tie audience saw the film.
t also stars Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, who couldn’t make the film’s gala for personal family reasons.
However, no one burst into tears because Johansson was absent.
“Nobody cared she wasn’t there”, snapped a prominent New York socialite as she noted, approvingly, that Cruz looked stunning in a low-cut gown designed by Marquesa while Hall, daughter of theatre legend Sir Peter Hall, was sparkling in a tumbling silk creation by Alberto Ferretti.
“The movie belonged to Penelope and Rebecca anyway with great help from Javier,” the socialite added.
The French branch of Warner Brothers Films, distributers of Vicky Cristina Barcelona in France, had spent weeks negotiating with Johansson’s representatives about flying her to Cannes.
They were willing, and happy, to pay for flights, hotel, provide a limousine, arrange for designers to show her gowns and for her to share hair and make-up designers with Cruz and Hall.
However, Johansson demanded her own exclusive make-up consultant at a cost of 5,000 Euros a day, which was felt a tad too much for a four day trip where looking after the star’s tresses and powdering her nose would cost a total of 20,000 Euros.
Then there was the problem over an hotel.
The film’s director and his leading ladies were delighted to be staying in the centre of Cannes to make it easier for them to attend screenings, public events and to do interviews for TV and press.
Johansson wanted to be at an hotel way out in the sticks, some 25 to 30 miles away.
“It was crazy. Penelope and Rebecca were going to be working very hard and it wasn’t acceptable that Scarlett would be having to come in from that distance every day, most likely turning up late and it would have thrown schedules into a lot of confusion.
“Also, I think, while Woody’s terribly fond of Scarlett, he was a little upset that she wasn’t being a team player”, an executive connected to the film told the Daily Mail.
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