’Oh My God!’ Former Maggie the Cat Elizabeth Ashley Reacts to Sexy Scarlett Johansson in Tin Roof Ad

Just days after Broadway.com debuted the first photo of Scarlett Johansson as the sexy and ferocious Maggie in Rob Ashford’s upcoming Cat on a Hot Tin Roof revival, we caught up with stage legend Elizabeth Ashley, who received a Tony nomination for her portrayal of Maggie in the first Broadway revival in 1974. Ashley, who was attending the opening night of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, had not yet seen the new ad campaign and we got her live reaction to seeing ScarJo’s sultry look.

“Oh, how wonderful,” Ashley exclaimed. “Oh my God. [Pause] Well, after that, I’m sure nobody will remember I was ever even in it,” she laughed. In a recent Broadway.com feature, Ashely said that Cat on a Hot Tin Roof had resurrected her career and that she considered Maggie to be the role in which she looked best.

When asked if she would be seeing Johansson’s performance, Ashley quickly responded “Oh, sure! She’s a brilliant actress. It’s such a brilliant play, and it’s so delicious. I can’t wait to see it; I’m sure it will be wonderful.”

There ya have it: Elizabeth Ashley’s glowing endorsement. Be sure to see Tennessee Williams’ classic Cat on a Hot Tin Roof when it begins performances December 18 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.