Scarlett Johansson To Hit ‘Saturday Night Live’ For Her Fifth Appearance

Scarlett Johansson will be returning to television once again, but not to star in a new series or make a cameo appearance, but as the host of Saturday Night Live, an honor that has been bestowed upon Scarlett four times previously. The actress, who is known for her role as Black Widow in Marvel’s Avengers film franchise and already popular for her casting as The Major in the upcoming Ghost in the Shell, will host Saturday Night Live for the March 11 edition, giving her time to prepare monologues and skits worthy of her fifth time in presiding over the celebrated live variety series.

Saturday Night Live Brings Scarlett Johansson Back To New York

Variety reports that the March 11 edition of Saturday Night Live will be bringing back a familiar face with Johansson and an SNL virgin with musical artist Lorde, who is looking forward to her first time on the popular variety show. The Ghost in the Shell actress will be returning to Saturday Night Live for the first time, since 2015, but this new appearance will make Scarlett the 17th performer to host SNL five times or more.

The other members of the “Five Timers Club” are Ben Affleck, Alec Baldwin, Drew Barrymore, Candace Bergen, Chevy Chase, Danny DeVito, Tina Fey, John Goodman, Elliott Gould, Tom Hanks, Buck Henry, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Paul Simon, Justin Timberlake, and Christopher Walken.

Steve Martin reigns supreme, having hosted Saturday Night Live a grand total of 15 times.

Saturday Night Live has been enjoying a winter break but will return with new installments on March 4, when the show will be hosted by Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures). Spencer will be joined by musical guest Father John Misty, who will soon be releasing a new album, entitled Pure Comedy.

Ghost In The Shell Star Scarlett Johansson Says The Major Is “Living A Unique Experience”

In advance of her next appearance on Saturday Night Live, Scarlett Johansson recently spoke with Empire about her role as The Major in the upcoming release of Ghost in the Shell. While much attention has been placed on Johansson’s casting in a role that has traditionally been that of an Asian male character, Scarlett used this new interview to bring greater focus to the re-envisioned Major and her personal experience in playing the part.

For Scarlett, playing a live-action version of Ghost in the Shell‘s Major has been an interesting science fiction project, while she describes The Major’s in-story life events as something more surreal and otherworldly.

“She’s living a unique experience,” Johansson explains of The Major, “as somebody who has an idea of who she thinks she was, and then who she is now, and the person that she feels she is, this sort of gnawing feeling she has in her ghost. Being able to play those three sides: the ego, the superego and the id… That was pretty enticing.”

Following the release of the latest video teasers for Ghost in the Shell, there was a great deal of talk surrounding Johansson’s revealing flesh colored jumpsuit, which was so skin tight that some have criticized the outfit and suggested that Scarlett might as well do the film in the buff. The Ghost in the Shell star takes a less critical opinion of the outfit, proving she still has her sense of humor, though she does admit the outfit has been uncomfortable at times.

“It’s hot where you don’t want it to be and cold where you don’t want it to be,” says Ms. Johansson.

Ghost in the Shell, starring Scarlett Johansson, Michael Pitt, and Michael Wincott, is scheduled for a March 31 theatrical premiere.

[Featured Image by Craig Barritt/Getty Images]