Scarlett Johansson likes to get "down and dirty" in her work.

The We Bought A Zoo actress - who plays zookeeper Kelly Foster alongside Matt Damon in the new movie - admitted she is "up for every kind of challenge" and likes to get stuck in when she takes on a new role.

"I think I'm up for every kind of challenge and I like to get down and dirty, yes. I really liked that aspect of Kelly, that she is a no-frills kind of girl, very grounded and practical, with that salt of the earth quality. That's the body language I created for her too; she's comfortable in her body and in her stance."

However, the 27-year-old beauty explained she has developed a "hard shell" in order to cope with the constant "batterings" she has suffered in the film industry: "I learned at a really young age that you have to have something of a hard shell to take some of the batterings that you get in this industry. We're constantly rejected and scrutinized and it's important to take a lot of it with a pinch of sale in order to be able to survive and press on."