Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson's Relationship Timeline: A Look Back

Before Oscar-nominated actress Scarlett Johansson said "I do" to Saturday Night Live head writer Colin Jost (plus Romain Dauriac and Ryan Reynolds), she briefly dated (although never married) actor and producer Josh Hartnett. In 2005, the two actors met on the set of a film where they played love interests — but as it turned out, their attraction toward one another wasn't entirely scripted.

The co-stars soon took their relationship to the next level, dating for almost two years. However, during that time, they remained super private about their love life, even evading the paparazzi — save for some press release photos (sans PDA, might we add). Interestingly, what brought them together in the first place, namely, their work, is the same thing that eventually drove them apart, as Hartnett later revealed. 

Here's a look back at Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson's relationship.

2005: Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson first meet

The two young actors met on the set of the crime thriller The Black Dahlia in 2005. In the film, Hartnett played detective Dwight "Bucky" Bleichert, one of the lead investigators in the murder of Hollywood starlet Elizabeth Short, along with his partner Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart). Johansson took on the role of Kay Lake, the girlfriend of Blanchard and later Bleichert. 

2005: Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson are first spotted together

The pair tried out their chemistry off-screen and began dating, which apparently made it even more uncomfortable to shoot steamy scenes with each other on set. 

"It was very difficult for me," the Penny Dreadful alum said in 2006, per TMZ. "Those scenes are eternally awkward because you got a bunch of sweaty dudes sitting and watching you, and you're just hoping to make it intimate, make it real."

After filming wrapped, Hartnett and Johansson attempted to keep their relationship low-key, frequently hanging out in the Lower East Side at Max Fish and canoodling in the corners of London nightclubs. While they rarely spoke about each other in the press, Johansson dropped a cute tidbit during a 2006 interview with Allure.

"Josh is very sweet," The Avengers actress said, according to CBS News. "He's a good boy. A great person. I'm very lucky, and I'm very happy."

2007: Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson praise each other's work ethic

Take away their fame and ultra-good looks, and ultimately, Hartnett and Johansson were just two theater nerds who understood and respected each other’s craft. 

"Josh is such a wonderful actor. I've always admired him and felt that he was a very, very talented young actor," Johansson said during a press run for The Black Dahlia. "He's very intense when he works. He's very focused, very passionate about what he's doing, and I really appreciate that."

Hartnett also had nothing but nice things to say when speaking about his then-girlfriend's work ethic, telling the same outlet, "Scarlett is intuitive, open, and present on the film set."

He added of Johansson, "She's a lot of fun to work with. She makes everything lighter than you would expect. Everybody has a little bit of a spring in their step when Scarlett's on set, but she keeps the work at the forefront of her mind, and she does terrific work."

2007: Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson break up

After dating for nearly two years, ScarJo and Hartnett decided to go their separate ways. According to the 40 Days and 40 Nights star, their split was due to the long distance. He spoke about their "really painful" breakup in an exclusive interview with The Mirror in 2007, revealing that "it was difficult spending so much time apart" with their different schedules and traveling across the world for work. 

Hartnett added, "At the end of the day, we're just ordinary people, and it didn't work." 

In 2014, Hartnett opened up about the pair's high-profile relationship again, except this time, he expressed a bit of regret. 

When asked about his habit of dating co-stars like ScarJo, he told Elle, "I don't recommend it to young actors. You can make a lot of enemies in the business that way, but when you work with somebody every day, it's like trial dating. You develop a fantasy about them. It doesn't always work out, does it?"