Scarlett Johansson Doesn’t Think Monogamy Is ‘Natural’

Scarlett Johansson says she thinks it isn’t “natural” to be a monogamous person.

The 32-year-old Ghost in The Shell actress, who quietly split from husband Roman Dauriac last summer, shares her opinions of marriage in a new interview in the March/April 2017 issue of Playboy magazine — which appears to have been conducted before news of the split surfaced in late January.

“I think the idea of marriage is very romantic; it’s a beautiful idea, and the practice of it can be a very beautiful thing,” she says. “I don’t think it’s natural to be a monogamous person. I might be skewered for that, but I think it’s work. It’s a lot of work.”

She continues: “And the fact that it is such work for so many people — for everyone — the fact of that proves that it is not a natural thing. It’s something I have a lot of respect for and have participated in, but I think it definitely goes against some instinct to look beyond.”

Johansson also recognizes the weight of marriage in the fact that it is a legally binding contract.

“Being married is different than not being married, and anybody who tells you that it’s the same is lying. It changes things. I have friends who were together for 10 years and then decided to get married, and I’ll ask them on their wedding day or right after if it’s different, and it always is. It is,” says Johansson. “It’s a beautiful responsibility, but it’s a responsibility.”

Johansson was previously married to Ryan Reynolds, but the relationship ended after three years in divorce.

Johansson shares a daughter with Dauriac, 2-year-old Rose Dorothy, and she says her marriage to the French journalist “felt different.”

“I had a baby, and also my husband was coming from another country and becoming a citizen of this country,” she explains. “It was a huge transition for both of us, and certainly for him — moving here, committing to the States. But I think my husband has embraced America, and New York in particular, in this really endearing way.”

For much of their relationship, the couple split their time between living in her hometown of New York and his native Paris. She recognizes that the “nomadic” nature of the industry is hard on relationships, kids, family and friends.

She also recounts a Ted Talk she listened to about relationships that really resonated with her.

“The person who was giving the talk was saying that in moments when you’re starting a new relationship and your friends and family say, ‘No, this is a red flag. This person is not for you’ — why do we ignore those people who know us so well in the moments that we don’t?” she says. “And then we distance ourselves from them because we’re embarrassed or whatever. It’s interesting how sometimes all you need is your good friend to tell you that you’re not acting like yourself. Or that they see something in front of you that is not beneficial for you or true to who you actually are.”

She adds: “I don’t know. It’s so easy to just go, ‘No, I don’t want to hear that.’ ”

The actress, who has spoken out about the challenges of being a working mom, also opened up about motherhood, revealing that having a child has helped her feel “more myself.”

“Just the process of being pregnant and giving birth was incredibly profound. For me, it’s the best thing that has ever happened,” she shares. “I feel in a lot of ways more myself now than I did before.”

This article originally appeared on People.com