Before Portman and Johansson part ways for their other high profile projects, both are making the press rounds to promote the period drama The Other Boleyn Girl, about two sisters who compete for the love of the famous Henry VII.

At the recent New York junket for The Other Boleyn Girl, Scarlett and Natalie gave journalists a wealth of candid insight on the film, what appealed to them most about their characters and the project, working with Eric Bana, and how Scarlett wound up landing her role in The Horse Whisperer after Natalie turned it down.

Do you think anyone under 20 really knows who Anne Boleyn is or knows this story?

SCARLETT JOHANSSON: I remember passing very briefly through this period of time in my own World History class, just because it was so vast. I remember us having World History 1, World History 2, and learning all of this in a period of two years, and that's before you hit U.S. History. Unless you're studying it or majoring in European History or particularly interested in these monarchies, I think that it's not something that known as much to Americans. I remember learning - Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived. That's what I learned about Henry VIII, but it was never really fully explained. We knew the rough edges of the history. So it's interesting. Hopefully the fact that Natalie and I are both involved with the project will maybe entice the younger generation and maybe spark their interest in the subject, because it is a fascinating time in history. They say history repeats itself, so we'll see how that works out over time. A major part of why I joined the project was because Natalie was involved and was set to play Anne, and I was a huge fan of Natalie's for a long time. I always loved her choices and performances. And I'd never had the opportunity to work on such an even playing field with a peer, being able to play siblings. It was a great opportunity for both of us.

NATALIE PORTMAN: I think a lot of people watch The Tudors, right? I wasn't aware of this story before I read the script, so that's exciting, to be able to introduce this story from the beginning. Then it's exciting because, in England, where I think people know a lot about Anne Boleyn, it's pop-culture knowledge. It's exciting, too, to turn it on its head because the story of Mary is a very untold story. Also, people know this story, because the book was really, really popular here. Every woman I know is like, "When's that movie coming out? When's that movie coming out?" I think that primed people for the movie.

Can you each talk about working with Eric Bana?

JOHANSSON: We never really had any scenes with Eric together. Because of that, I never knew what Natalie's relationship was with Eric, so totally out of circumstance I had to define my own relationship with Eric because I had no idea what was going on with Natalie.

PORTMAN: We obviously knew from the script that he's gentle and sexy with you and rough and challenging with me. I remember people being, like, "Wow, the sex scene was really hot!" [and] the crew members talking about whatever afterwards. I was like, "Okay," but Eric is super-fun and funny.

JOHANSSON: He's such a goof. He's a comedian, of course. He's really involved with his family. His family was there the whole time.

PORTMAN: He's like a bloke. He's this Australian bloke - "My car, my bike, my kids..."

JOHANSSON: And all of a sudden he'd become the king, and regal. What was the word that you used earlier?

PORTMAN: Strapping. He is "strapping".

How did you deal with the heavy costumes you had to wear in the movie?

JOHANSSON: As an actor, anything you have to help you get into character is helpful and the costumes were certainly a major part of that. Even the space of the costume... as modern women, we’re used to being able to move freely and not think about what we’re wearing and be physically comfortable. With these costumes, not only is it uncomfortable to wear, but it affects how people move around you because the costume is so huge. It was a constant reminder of the kind of restrictions placed on women of this time and it effected how you walked and all of these things.

PORTMAN: For Anne the costumes are bold and sort of daring and it definitely matched who she was as a woman. So that was helpful. As for eating and stuff, I remember Scarlett warning me that she had a big lunch, big mistake [laughs]. You forget when you take the costume off and break for lunch and then try to put it back on and it’s a battle. The riding was actually great because it looks so elegant and you have to sit up straight in that corset - boning. That posture actually helps on the horse because you have to be very sort of, get your core.

Back in "Boleyn" Time with Portman and Johansson Page 2