Scarlett Johansson Discusses Casting Colin Jost in ‘Fly Me to the Moon’

Spoiler alert! We’re discussing minor details about a scene from “Fly Me to the Moon” (in theaters now).

“Fly Me to the Moon” features one of the most star-studded casts in recent memory, including Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano, and Jim Rash from “Community.”

The film, a romantic comedy, also has a surprising cameo by Colin Jost, who co-hosts “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live” and is Johansson’s husband. Jost plays the dimwitted Senator Cook in a brief but memorable appearance.

The story centers around Kelly Jones (Johansson), an advertising executive tasked with marketing the 1969 moon landing. She heads to NASA and turns the Apollo 11 astronauts into media-friendly figures, much to the annoyance of launch director Cole Davis (Tatum). Apart from orchestrating countless TV interviews and product placements, Kelly navigates political waters to help secure funding for space flight by winning over conservative U.S. senators.

One of these politicians is Cook, who encounters Kelly and Cole in a dimly lit boardroom. Mistakenly believing elaborate drawings of laser-wielding extraterrestrials to be real, he pledges his support for the mission.

Johansson felt Jost was a perfect fit for the role of the bumbling senator. “I was like, ‘He’s a hardcore, hate-fueled, right-leaning conspiracy theorist…’” she jokes. The peculiar scene led her to question the movie’s tone, calling it “very strange.”

Tatum also praises the scene, calling it one of his favorites. He remarks, “It’s the most pushed in terms of the tone of the movie and the zany out-thereness.”

Director Greg Berlanti was instrumental in securing Jost’s cameo. “They’re having a bromance,” Johansson says about Berlanti and her husband. Berlanti recalls, “I got to know him socially through Scarlett, and I was the one begging, ‘Will he just come in?’ Colin had everybody in stitches; there are a lot of outtakes.”

One memorable outtake involved Jost looking at Johansson and Tatum and asking, “Is something going on between you guys?” His off-the-cuff humor added to the film’s charm, according to Berlanti.

Screenwriter Rose Gilroy elaborates on the broader themes of the film, focusing on the interplay between capitalism and democracy. Through Johansson’s character, the film offers a glimpse into American politics during the era of the moon landing. “The senators show a little snippet of American politics at that time, and how it factored into this larger mission,” says Gilroy. This meta aspect of the script added depth and made Jost’s comedic role even more impactful.

This movie marks the first time Johansson has acted with Jost despite her frequent appearances on “SNL.” The couple started dating in 2017 and tied the knot in 2020. They now share a soon-to-be 3-year-old son, Cosmo.

“I don’t get to work with him as an actor really ever,” Johansson says. “We’ve never worked in that capacity together. He’s written stuff for me when I’m on ‘SNL,’ but it was great. Very efficient!”

Source: USA TODAY, Newsbreak