Scarlett Johansson reacts to death of Horse Whisperer costar Robert Redford: 'Bob taught me what ...

Redford directed and starred alongside a young Johansson in one of her earliest film roles. Scarlett Johansson reacts to death of Horse Whisperer costar Robert

Redford directed and starred alongside a young Johansson in one of her earliest film roles.

Scarlett Johansson reacts to death of *Horse Whisperer *costar Robert Redford: 'Bob taught me what acting could be'

Redford directed and starred alongside a young Johansson in one of her earliest film roles.

By Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm is 's news director and co-host of EW's 'BINGE' podcast covering every season of 'RuPaul's Drag Race.' Follow her on Twitter at @JillianSed to geek out over 'SNL,' guess every celeb on 'The Masked Singer,' or discuss Christian Bale's entire filmography in intricate detail (have you noticed all the dancing?)

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September 16, 2025 4:33 p.m. ET

Robert Redford and Scarlett Johansson in 'The Horse Whisperer'. Credit:

Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock

Scarlett Johansson is paying her respects to late costar* *Robert Redford, whom she says taught her "what acting could be."

Redford, who died on Tuesday at 89, directed and starred in *The Horse Whisperer, *one of Johansson's early roles*. *The actress was 13 when the movie premiered in May 1998, and in a statement to *, *she reflects on meeting the acting legend years before that and the significant impact he had on her own career path.**

"Bob Redford cast me in the *Horse Whisperer* when I was 11 years old. Every day before each scene, he would take the time to sit with me and walk me through all of the beats that led my character up until that particular point in the story," the actress recalls to EW. "No matter the reality of the days rush, I always felt he had all the time in the world for our work."

The Oscar-nominated actress credits Redford with creating "an environment on set that was calm and precious; a place where actors could make discoveries."

Scarlett Johansson and Robert Redford in 'The Horse Whisperer '.

Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock

Calling the actor "patient and warm and kind," she continues, "Bob taught me what acting could be, and it was from his generosity and patience that I was inspired to pursue the possibilities of the craft. That same generosity and love of the art inspired Bob's creation of Sundance, a place where filmmakers learn from one another, inspire one another, and discover one another's talent."

Johansson's statement concludes, "Bob, thank you for your belief in me and for your grace and guidance. You inspired so many artists, me included, to go deeper, to stay present, to push creative boundaries, and to explore further, and for that, we are forever grateful."**

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*The Horse Whisperer *— based on the bestselling novel by Nicholas Evans and adapted for the screen by Eric Roth and Richard LaGravenese — tells the story of a talented horse trainer (Redford) who is hired to help an injured young teen (Johansson) get back in the saddle and help nurse her animal back to health following a tragic accident.

The movie also stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Neill, Chris Cooper, Cherry Jones, Dianne Wiest, and Kate Bosworth.

The film also marked the first time Redford directed himself onscreen, following his directorial debut with 1980's *Ordinary People, *which scored him an Oscar for Best Director, as well as turns behind the camera in *A River Runs Through It, Quiz Show, *and more.**

The Marvel star is now an actor-director herself. Johansson's directorial debut, *Eleanor the Great, *starring* *June Squibb, hits theaters on Sept. 26, following premieres at Cannes and TIFF.

Scarlett Johansson at the 2025 Emmy Awards on Sept. 14, 2025.

Amy Sussman/Getty

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Johansson, who has starred as Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. the Black Widow, across eight MCU movies, has also expressed interest in helming a future superhero flick.

"I think the movies that I like, that are big action movies, also have the human connectivity piece," Johansson told Deadline in May. "Even producing *Black Widow* and being a part of the production of that, and the development of the story, and the story between Natasha and Yelena [Florence Pugh]... [there is,] I think, a way of doing it, a way of maintaining the integrity of the idea of human connection, family, disappointment, all of the things that were themes in [*Eleanor the Great*], and doing it in a giant way in a giant universe — there's ways of doing that... So, yeah, definitely, it could be, it would be fun."

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Source: "AOL Movies"

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