Scarlett Johansson recently starred in a new ad for Prada, where she plays three clones. The campaign was directed by renowned filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and features his trademark visual style and absurdist aesthetic. The advertisement promotes Prada’s Galleria handbag, thus marking the third time Johansson has appeared as the face of the purse. She previously featured in the Galleria bag’s 2023 and 2024 campaigns.
Scarlett Johansson stars in new Prada ad
Scarlett Johansson essays three characters in a new Prada ad: a guru who knows all about cloning, a woman who listens to the former’s instructions to follow through the ritual, and a third clone who emerges out of a big ball.
The footage starts with the guru holding the hand of someone and telling them the ingredients required to complete a certain ritual. These include “morning breeze, not after 12 noon, not before five AM;” whisper of dead loved ones’ names; “rainwater that drips from a non-blooming cherry tree — taller than one and a half meters;” “six large black stones;” and “the feather of a chirping bird” — which she claims isn’t necessary.
As the guru lists the ingredients, the footage is interspersed with shots of a woman walking around New York City in search of them. She collects them and places them in a white Galleria handbag. Finally, the woman empties all the ingredients inside a big metallic ball via a rectangular opening at the back. The woman then pauses for a second as she hears some sounds coming from the ball.
The video cuts to the woman standing next to the guru, both awaiting the result of the cloning ritual. Then a third woman emerges from the ball, much to the delight of the other two. The new clone is next seen dressed in a yellow trenchcoat, with a black top and midi skirt underneath, holding a black Galleria handbag.
The Black Widow star described the idea of the Prada campaign in a statement to WWD. She shared that it was a “play on identity.” “The identities that live within all of us, the different masks we wear, the different characters we play,” she continued. “The different people we are with other people, in different relationships.”
