Entertainment Movies Scarlett Johansson Reveals Her Mom Showed Her 'Age-Inappropriate' Silence of the Lambs at 7 "If anyone ever questioned my mom's parenting approach, she'd say that all her children were very mature," Scarlett Johansson said By Greta Bjornson Greta Bjornson Greta Bjornson is a former digital news writer at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2022. People Editorial Guidelines and Scott Huver Scott Huver Scott Huver is a freelance writer-reporter at PEOPLE. He has been writing about entertainment, celebrity, pop culture, crime, fashion and the Los Angeles area for over 20 years. People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 19, 2021 11:07AM EST Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Scarlett Johansson says her love for cinema started early — and she has her mom to thank. The actress, 36, was honored as the 35th recipient of the American Cinematheque Award Thursday night in Beverly Hills. During her acceptance speech, Johansson told the audience that her mom, Melanie Sloan, began showing her and her siblings movies when they were young. Some of the films Sloan showed her children included classics like Silence of the Lambs and Schindler's List, which Johansson acknowledged may have been "age-inappropriate" at the time. "When I was as young as three, my mom started showing me a catalogue of every movie she loved as a child," Johansson said during her speech at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. "And she showed me all the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Rosalind Russell films, Judy Garland movies, and she would swoon every time Montgomery Clift was on screen – 'Isn't he so gorgeous?' " Scarlett Johansson Says She Has 'No Plans' to Return as Black Widow: 'I Feel Really Satisfied' "And she sang 'The Trolley Song' at the top of her lungs and got starry eyed every time Annette Funicello came on the screen," she added. Johansson continued, "She showed my siblings and I many age-inappropriate films like Silence of the Lambs when I was seven. I still remember seeing Schindler's List in the theater when I was nine, I was literally haunted by the little girl in the red coat." Ken Regan/Orion/Kobal/Shutterstock But if Sloan was challenged by anyone for showing Johansson and her siblings such titles, she knew just what to say: "If anyone ever questioned my mom's parenting approach, she'd say that all her children were very mature," Johansson said. The Jojo Rabbit star has four siblings: a twin brother, Hunter, and two older siblings — Vanessa and Adrian — plus an older half-brother, Christian. Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost Are 'So Happy' and 'Madly in Love with' Baby Cosmo: Source Matt Baron/Shutterstock The actress said her mom's love for movies helped inspire her own career, explaining, "My passion for performance came from watching all those movies over and over and over." Both Hunter and Adrian attended the Thursday event honoring Johansson, which featured wines from American Cinematheque partner Château Malartic-Lagravière. A magnum of wine, signed by Johansson, will be donated to raise funds for Solar Responders, which Hunter founded with a mission to save lives in hurricane-hit regions by installing solar power units in first responder fire and police stations Other attendees included Jon Favreau, Thomasin McKenzie, Andy Richter, Abbie Cornish, and Jamie Lee Curtis, plus Sam Rockwell, Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr. and Jeremy Renner. Johansson posed for photos at the event with her husband, SNL's Colin Jost, marking the couple's first red carpet appearance since welcoming their first child, son Cosmo. Johansson is also mom to daughter Rose, whom she shares with ex-husband Romain Dauriac.