Weeks after Alec Baldwin extended his hosting record, another SNL host achieved a different personal milestone. The latest episode of Saturday Night Live marked the fifth hosting appearance for actress Scarlett Johansson, propelling her into the illustrious "Five Timers Club" alongside legends like Bill Murray, Tina Fey and Chevy Chase.
ScarJo has come a long way since her first appearance on the SNL stage; her first hosting gig was all the way back in 2006, when she starred alongside none other than musical guest Death Cab For Cutie:
Some perspective on how long ago that was: the host's latest SNL co-star, musical guest Lorde, was just nine years old when Johansson got her first crack at hosting.
Johansson was back on thestage to help promote her upcoming movie, Ghost in the Shell, a live-action adaptation of a critically-acclaimed Japanese manga. Ghost in the Shell tells the story of a future world where humans can (and do) undergo cybernetic upgrades to their bodies. Johansson will play the "The Major" in the upcoming film, starring as an anti-terrorist leader tasked with fighting back against extremists who wish to stop the advancement of cyber-human technology.
Her presence as the lead character has not come without criticism. A number of outlets accused Dreamworks of "whitewashing" the role of Major Motoko Kusanagi when the decision to cast Johansson was made, though some Japanese fans of the original manga were surprised by the outrage. At an event debuting the promotional trailer for Ghost in the Shell, director Rupert Sanders stood by his decision to cast Johansson, saying, "There are very few actresses with 20 years experience who have the cyberpunk ethic already baked in."
Johansson herself also took the time to respond to the criticism in an interview with Marie Claire. "I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person," she said. "Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive."
