Colin Jost Recalls Meeting “Intimidatingly Sophisticated” Scarlett Johansson for the First Time

Was it love at first sight for Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson? Sort of.

Instead of experiencing that strike of Cupid’s arrow, the Saturday Night Live star was acutely aware of the actress’ star power and intelligence. He writes in his book A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir that his first impression of his future fiancée was that she was “beautiful, smart, sweet and intimidatingly sophisticated.”

The pair met on the set of SNL in 2006, which happened to be his first year as a sketch writer on the show and her first time hosting. “I got eight sketches on the show my first year, including one cold open and a parody of MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen, starring first-time host Scarlett Johansson,” he recalls. “She has just turned 20 and I was 23, but in terms of status and maturing she was here [holds hand above head] and I was here [ holds hand one inch off ground]. She claims that she remembers thinking I was ‘cute,’ but I know what I looked like and that’s not the word I would have used. (‘Shaggy’ would have been generous. ‘Slovenly,’ more accurate).”