Samantha Morton was the original voice of the artificial intelligence Samantha in Spike Jonze’s Her, but she was replaced by Scarlett Johansson in post-production. It’s never fun to lose a job, especially one you’ve already worked very hard at, and Morton told the Happy Sad Confused podcast that she was more than a little sad to learn that she would be replaced.
Samantha Morton on Her
Her follows a lonely, introverted man (Joaquin Phoenix) who develops a relationship with an AI-operating system.
“Well, I have to say that it’s every director’s prerogative, in regards to the final cut of the film,” Morton said. “And for any job, you’re never guaranteed to be in it in the end because… unless you are the lead in the movie and you’re pivotal, you never really know.“
Morton worked very closely with Jonze and Phoenix to develop the character, including being stuck in a padded phone booth on set to read her lines to avoid seeing her co-star during filming.
“We did work together, opposite each other, and that was… I loved it, but I was sad. It does hurt when you’re fired from something or before it. I don’t know,” she said. “But with that I was surprised… and a little sad would be an understatement. But, again, I think that the time I had on set with Joaquin and the working with Spike on the script and finding Samantha and all the work that we did was really special.“
Morton’s Samantha was Very Different
The actress said that her version of Samantha was very different from Johansson’s take on the character. “I have to say, I think my version of Samantha was very… she’s English,” she said. “It was just very, very different. And I think Scarlett Johansson has a beautiful voice. She’s incredibly evocative. It’s, you know… I got it, but I was sad.“
“What I’d have wished for was another chance in a booth to do an American accent,” she added, “But I think, you know, Scarlett Johansson! I mean, come on.“
Morton can currently be seen as Circe in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and she’s absolutely amazing.
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