Why Scarlett Johansson Doesn’t Think Monogamy Is ‘Natural’

Actress Scarlett Johansson is sharing her honest opinion on marriage following her split from husband Romain Dauriac.

In the March/April issue of Playboy, Scarlett said, "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. 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.”

The 32-year-old elaborated, "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.”

Scarlett has been married twice; first to Ryan Reynolds, which ended in 2011, and then to Dauriac in 2014. She said, "I had a really young baby at the time, so that also—our family dynamic was just different. I don't know. Whatever that is, the thing you can't fully put words to, it changed. I had a baby, and also my husband was coming from another country and becoming a citizen of this country. 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…"

"I think marriage initially involves a lot of people who have nothing to do with your relationship, because it's a legally binding contract, and that has a weight to it. Being married is different than not being married, and anybody who tells you that it's the same is lying. It changes things,” Johansson continued, "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's a beautiful responsibility, but it's a responsibility.”

Though she and Romaine called it quits, she says their baby daughter is “the best thing that has ever happened.” Scarlett emphasized, "Somebody once described it to me as your heart growing this other chamber, and I think that's really profoundly true. Your capacity to love something, at least in my experience, deepens to a whole other space. I think I was afraid that life would change, and it does; it dramatically changes. But I feel in a lot of ways more myself now than I did before."

The interview may have been conducted before news broke on their breakup.

For more, grab a copy of the issue, on newsstands February 28. The issue was the magazine's return to nudity.