10 Ways In Which Her And Lost In Translation Are Connected To Each Other

2. Scarlett Johansson

Here is the most obvious connection between both Lost in Translation and Her: Scarlett Johansson stars in both movies. In Lost in Translation, she plays Charlotte, a character who's most likely based on writer/director Sofia Coppola's experiences. In Her, she plays the operating system that falls in love with Theodore. We never see her face in Her, we can only hear her voice. Somehow, even though we never see her, her presence is most definitely felt whenever she speaks. She manages to give Samantha so much personality and she's very crucial to the movie's success. In Lost in Translation, she plays a much more passive, quiet character who does not get out of her shell until Bill Murray's character comes along. Her "appearance" in Spike Jonze's film is what made me think of Lost in Translation almost immediately. She is the ultimate link between these two films and their directors. Shortly after Her came out, it was discovered that Scarlett Johansson wasn't supposed to be in the film originally. The part of Samantha was played by actress Samantha Morton, at first. But apparently, Morton did not have the right kind of chemistry that was needed for the role and Jonze decided to go with Scarlett Johansson instead. Scarlett did most of her scenes while they were in post-production. Was the last minute addition of Scarlett Johansson just a complete coincidence? After all, she does have a very distinctive voice. Or was there a method behind the madness? I'm willing to buy that it was a coincidence, but it seems interesting that Spike Jonze needed her in order to make the movie work.