Woody’s women

Kate Winslet

Believe it or not, Kate Winslet was actually slated to play Scarlett Johansson’s part in “Match Point.” At the last minute, however, Winslet withdrew to spend time with her children.

“I was in a hole, I had to get somebody fairly quickly,” Allen confessed to citypaper.com. “I hired [Johansson] and became totally captivated by her. I thought she could simply do anything. I’m very happy to work with her. Whenever there is a part that fits anything she could do, I would always call her and hope that she would be available for it, as I did with Keaton for years. I did that with Mia -- I did many roles with her, thought she was a wonderful actress, and she never let me down. I think that the same will be true with Scarlett.”  (Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times)

Scarlett Johansson

After Johansson starred in three Woody Allen films -- “Match Point,” “Scoop” and the recently released “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” many have speculated that she was his new muse. The actress, for her part, doesn’t think so.

“I think ‘muse’ is kind of a silly word that the media’s adopted, like a kind of darling word,” she told cinecon.com. “If you said that to Woody, I think he would think that it’s strange.”  (Chris Pizzello / Associated Press)

Next up?

In Allen’s 2009 release “Whatever Works,” the lead role will be played by a newcomer to the Woody Allen clan: Evan Rachel Wood. You probably know Wood from her turn as Jessie Sammler on “Once and Again” -- or as that woman who’s dating Marilyn Manson.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)