If Alfred Hitchcock were alive today, it’s a safe bet that he’d be working with Scarlett Johansson… or at least pursuing her to star in one of his thrillers.
‘Hitch’ as he liked his girls to call him, was a fan of the platinum blonde and persuaded Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman, Kim Novak, Tippi Hedren and Janet Leigh to be terrorised in the name of his art.
But tonight a film about his marriage was promoted at the New York premiere by not just the ultimate Hitchcock blonde but by a brunette in a leading role…step forward sparkling Jessica Biel.
Scroll down for video…
The ultimate Hitchcock Blonde: If Hitchcock were alive today he’d cast her in one of his movies; as it is she stars in the eponymous new movie that explores his life and marriage which premiered in New York on Sunday
Sense of the dramatic: Jessica Biel and Scarlett both opted for distinctive outfits for Sunday night’s big premiere
Hitchcock famously noted: ‘Blondes make the best victims. They’re like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints.’
And Johansson, 27, faces a scary ordeal as Janet Leigh in the big screen exploration of the auteur’s dark side.
She plays Leigh – mother to another star, Jamie Lee Curtis – in the build up and filming of 1960’s Psycho, in which the young starlet is murdered in the shower by Anthony Perkins, playing walking Freudian nightmare, Norman Bates.
The real villain of Hitchcock, however, is the London born master of suspense, who jabbed at Leigh with a knife while she stood naked in the shower… just to get the shot right.
Mrs Timberlake: Jessica opted for a very demure trouser suit that shimmered on the cold Manhattan night
Fauna: Scarlett wore this unusual dress which would fit into the early ’60s timeframe if it weren’t for the high hem
Cast call: Scarlett and Jessica pose with their fellow co-stars Toni Collette, right, and Helen Mirren
Legend: Helen slipped into a black and gold embroidered ensemble with peep-toe heels
