Scarlett Johansson stopped by The Kelly Clarkson Show on Monday (Sept. 26) for a game that put her back in the shoes of her character from 2019’s A Marriage Story.
In the game, “Catch a Riff of This,” the actress and host Kelly Clarkson faced off trying to guess popular songs based on a single guitar riff. But when it came to the iconic melody of “Sweet Home Alabama,” the matter of who earned the point came into contention.
While Clarkson was initially awarded the point, she eventually gave it up to Johansson. “OK, here’s the thing: I can’t cheat so I was trying to figure out what it was and she gave it to me,” the host admitted. “Because she said, ‘Sweet home…’ and I didn’t really, I knew the song, it would’ve took me longer.”
“Oh, you’re gonna be generous now?…You decided to be generous now?” Johansson quipped, as she was down seven to four by that point in the game — even with Clarkson’s concession.
But once she had earned the point, the game’s moderator made a special request: that she perform the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic with “Marriage Story levels of intensity.”
“How does that even work?” the two-time Oscar nominee laughed before dramatically reciting, “Big wheels keep on turning/ Lord, I’m comin’ home to you, yeah!” and forgetting the rest of the lyrics.
One of Johansson’s two Oscar nods came from her portrayal of Nicole Barber in the Netflix drama opposite Adam Driver. A critical success, the relationship-driven story also sparked hundreds of Internet memes thanks to the fictional couple’s dramatic, argument-fraught relationship. The role earned Johansson a best actress Oscar nomination, and she earned a second nod (also in 2020) for best supporting actress for Jojo Rabbit.
Watch Johansson’s hilarious recitation of “Sweet Home Alabama” below.