Tiscali Celebrity

Johansson committed to accuracy on 'boleyn' set

Actress SCARLETT JOHANSSON won the approval of THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL's novelist on the set of the movie adaptation - over her commitment to historical accuracy throughout the shoot.

British author Philippa Gregory, who was employed as a factual consultant on the new drama, was stunned at how determined the cast was to correctly portray the 16th century story - and singles out Johansson for special praise.

She says, "When I got on set it was like a reading group. The whole cast and set were reading not just The Other Boleyn Girl but the rest of my Tudor novels, too.

"They'd come up to me and say, 'How does this fit with this?' and 'Who is this person?' It was a very interesting experience.

"Scarlett's copy of the book is broken-backed and it's marked on every page. She's continually going to the writer and director and saying, 'Let's look at this - let's do it this way.'" (PAW/WNTEX/TN)