Samantha Morton’s experience on Her is one of Hollywood’s more unusual recasting stories. The British actress had already filmed the role of Samantha, the artificial-intelligence operating system at the center of Spike Jonze’s acclaimed 2013 film, and spent months working closely with Joaquin Phoenix during production. Yet after filming ended and Jonze began editing the movie, he decided that something about the character was not working as he wanted. Scarlett Johansson was subsequently brought in to replace Morton during post-production. More than a decade later, Morton has admitted that the decision still makes her sad.
She Was There From the Beginning
Morton was not simply hired to record a few lines and then forgotten. She was deeply involved in the original production of Her. Because Samantha is an AI and never appears physically on screen, Morton performed her dialogue from a specially constructed soundproof booth while Phoenix filmed Theodore’s side of their conversations.
The unusual arrangement meant that Morton became an important part of Phoenix’s performance. Jonze later explained that she was effectively in Phoenix’s ear throughout filming, giving him something real to react to even though audiences would never see her.
That makes her eventual replacement particularly unusual. Morton had already helped shape the character and the film’s central relationship before Johansson ever entered the project.
The Decision Came After Filming
The change did not happen because Morton walked away from the production. Instead, Jonze made the decision after principal photography had finished and the filmmakers began assembling the movie.
Jonze later explained that he realized during the editing process that the version of Samantha he and Morton had created was not ultimately what the film needed. He decided to recast the role, bringing Johansson into the project to record the character’s dialogue.
It was an especially difficult choice because Morton’s work was already intertwined with what Phoenix had filmed. Rather than simply replacing a conventional on-camera performance, the production had to recreate the emotional connection between Theodore and Samantha with an entirely different performer.
Scarlett Johansson Stepped Into the Booth
Johansson recorded Samantha’s dialogue during post-production while also working around her other commitments. Phoenix returned to help her establish the same intimate dynamic he had developed with Morton during filming.
Johansson ultimately gave Samantha the distinctive voice that audiences around the world came to associate with the character. Her performance became one of the most praised elements of the film, helping Samantha feel simultaneously warm, playful and increasingly complex.
The finished movie was a major critical success, receiving five Academy Award nominations and winning Best Original Screenplay. Johansson’s voice performance was also widely celebrated, even though she was not physically visible in the film.
Morton Says It Still Hurt
Morton recently revisited the experience during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. While she acknowledged that directors ultimately have the right to make decisions about their films, she admitted that being replaced was painful.
She emphasized that she understood the realities of filmmaking and recognized that performers are not always guaranteed to appear in the final version of a project. Nevertheless, she had invested considerable time and creative energy into Samantha, making the decision especially difficult.
For Morton, the disappointment was not simply about losing a credit. She had developed the character alongside Jonze and Phoenix and had formed a creative connection to the project.
She Had a Special Bond With Joaquin Phoenix
One of the most meaningful parts of Morton’s experience was her work with Phoenix. Because Samantha exists entirely through her voice, their performances depended heavily on creating believable chemistry between two characters who could never physically interact.
Morton has described the time she spent working with Phoenix and Jonze as special. The production even involved building a dedicated recording booth for her, allowing her to perform alongside Phoenix while remaining physically separated from him.
Although Johansson ultimately became the voice audiences heard, Jonze has acknowledged that Morton’s contribution remained part of the film’s foundation. He said her presence during production gave Phoenix a great deal to work with and helped shape his performance as Theodore.
She Has Nothing Against Johansson
Morton’s disappointment should not be confused with hostility toward Johansson. In discussing the experience, she has praised Johansson’s work and acknowledged that she brought something special to Samantha.
Morton has also suggested that, in retrospect, she would have liked another opportunity to try a different approach rather than simply being replaced. One possibility she raised was recording again using an American accent, something that might have changed the quality of Samantha’s voice.
That distinction is important. Morton appears to understand why Jonze wanted something different while still wishing she had been given another chance to find it herself.
The Replacement Helped Create a Movie Classic
It is impossible to know what Her would have felt like with Morton’s original performance. What audiences ultimately received was Johansson’s interpretation of Samantha, and her voice became inseparable from the movie’s identity.
The film follows Theodore, played by Phoenix, as he develops an increasingly intimate relationship with an advanced AI operating system. Samantha’s lack of a physical body makes her voice particularly important, meaning Johansson’s performance had to carry much of the emotional weight of the character.
The finished film earned widespread acclaim and became one of Spike Jonze’s most celebrated works.
A Painful Moment in an Extraordinary Career
Morton’s experience with Her remains a strange footnote in an already remarkable career. She has earned an Academy Award nomination, appeared in films including Minority Report and In America, and continued taking on challenging roles across film and television.
Now, with her acclaimed performance as Circe in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the actress is once again receiving major attention. Her reflections on Her offer a rare glimpse into the disappointment that can exist behind even an acclaimed movie’s success.
For Morton, the experience remains bittersweet. She can recognize that Jonze had the right to make the creative decision he believed was best for the film, and she can admire what Johansson ultimately did with Samantha. But that does not mean losing a role she had worked so hard to create stopped hurting.
More than a decade later, the story remains a fascinating reminder that even completed performances can disappear before audiences ever get the chance to see them—and sometimes the actors involved never completely forget what was lost.
Featured image: instagram.com/samanthamorton
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