Scarlett Johansson has been playing muse to Woody Allen. Now, she's attempting to take her motivational skills to an all new, slightly less neurotic, demographic.
The 23-year-old actress has announced plans to pay a five-day visit to the Persian Gulf as part of an upcoming USO/Army Moral Welfare Recreation tour, something the increasingly politically active star has paid increasing lip service toward doing.
"This USO tour to the Gulf region truly means a lot," Johansson said. "I've wanted to go over and visit for some time, and now my moment has arrived."
The moments within her moment will be spent visiting military installations throughout the region, greeting fans, signing autographs and generally hobnobbing with any interested members of the U.S. armed forces currently deployed to the region.
The exact locations Johansson will visit, as well as the dates of her trip, are, per standard operating procedure, not being disclosed for safety reasons.
Johansson, who earlier this month ingratiated herself into the world of politics by campaigning for Barack Obama in Ohio, said her large contingent of military fans, as evidenced from the bounty of mail she receives from overseas bases, played a large part in her decision to make the trip abroad.
"It's one thing to reply to a letter or extend your thanks to service members in a speech, but it's another thing to visit them and spend time with those that do so much for us back home," she said.
There's no word on any other possible celeb participants in the tour, but just last month, Robin Williams, Lewis Black, Lance Armstrong and Kid Rock were the latest stars to embark on a morale-boosting trip to Persian Gulf bases.
Upon her return to the U.S., Johansson may be making another risky move, albeit one with much lower stakes.
According to the New York Post, the Match Point star will be following in the footsteps of her showbiz mentor and taking a turn behind the camera.
Johansson will reportedly be joining a bevy of directors on the film New York, I Love You, an English-language, Big Apple-based follow-up to last year's Paris, je t'aime. The latter was a cinematic love letter to the City of Lights comprised of 20 different five-minute films from 20 different directors in 20 different styles set amid the city's varying neighborhoods.
New York, I Love You is expected to follow the same format, albeit with a slightly scaled back list of directors: this time around, only 12 are expected to take part. In addition to Johansson, whose participation has yet to be confirmed, Zach Braff, Anthony Minghella, Mira Nair, Brett Ratner and even Woody Allen are among the other big names being bandied about to pull up a director's chair.