Scarlett Johansson stays in a professional 'Spirit'

Scarlett Johansson's every move seems to make news, even when the news is made up.

A few weeks ago, Cosmopolitan UK published a cover story featuring a number of quotes from the star of movies such as "Lost in Translation" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" about her recent marriage to actor Ryan Reynolds. Problem was, she never said them. The interview hadn't taken place; the writer had invented the quotes and folded them into a previously published American Cosmo story.

Johansson had just returned from a foreign press tour flogging her new movie, "The Spirit," to learn that she had apparently divulged information about her September marriage to Reynolds. "I read the article, and thought, 'What the . . . ?' " recalls the actress, who has long made it a point not to publicly discuss her private life. "We dug a little deeper, and it got even weirder. The story was written by someone with a pseudonym; they don't know the real writer. It was bought by this agency that sold the same story to half a dozen tabloids."

Sitting over a late breakfast at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood, nursing a cold, she shrugged off the bizarre event. "I'm pretty sure there's a statement and an apology" forthcoming, she says, which she planned to accept. (Later in the week, Cosmo UK published that apology on its website, to be repeated in its next published issue.)

After this real interview, she was heading off to tape an appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" before the "Spirit" premiere. That evening on the program, Leno made mention of her cold. She joked that she had caught it from "Spirit" costar Samuel L. Jackson, which added to the cold's value. Leno then riffed that perhaps they should sell the famous germs on EBay, at which point he handed her a tissue, she blew her nose, put it in a plastic bag, zipped it up, and autographed it. The whole bit was a setup, unless Leno happens to store plastic bags and pens under his desk. She mentioned that the auction would benefit U.S.A. Harvest, a charity that she supports. By the next day, that tissue was a hot topic online.

But back at the Chateau Marmont, no bombshells or tissues were dropped. She had come to the hotel solo, dressed in jeans and red Converse sneakers, and otherwise layered against the rainy weather outside. Reddish hair down, with little makeup, she looked lovely and acted courteously, apologizing for not shaking hands because of her illness.