Nothing drives wild animals away faster than hearing actors scream about divorce.
Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver’s 2019 film “Marriage Story” is being used by the United States Department of Agriculture to keep wolves away from killing cattle, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“Riding to the rescue are drone cowhands, whose quadcopters have thermal cameras that can reveal any wolf lurking in the darkness and bathe it in a spotlight,” the outlet reported.
“A loudspeaker broadcasts alarming sounds like fireworks, gunshots and people arguing,” it continued. “One recording is of the fight between Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in the movie ‘Marriage Story.’”
The practice of using loud noises to scare off endangered species of animals, dubbed “wolf hazing,” is not new, but the idea of using Noah Baumbach’s Oscar-nominated drama certainly is.
“Marriage Story,” which stars Johansson, 40, and Driver, 41, as a couple going through an ugly divorce and custody battle over their son, received critical acclaim when it was released in theatres and on Netflix.
The focal point of the film unfolds when Nicole (Johansson) and Charlie (Driver) scream at each other for four minutes amid the complete breakdown of their relationship.
While the scene was so intense that it earned the “Black Widow” star and “House of Gucci” actor nominations at the 2020 Academy Awards, it has also reportedly saved countless cows and other livestock targeted by gray wolves.
“Drones were deployed in the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon after 11 cows were killed by wolves there in a 20-day period,” the WSJ reported. “Over the next 85 days, when drones were on patrol, only two were killed.”
A USDA district supervisor in Oregon told the outlet that the argument from “Marriage Story” – as well as AC/DC’s blaring 1990 hit “Thunderstruck” – works just as well, and if not better, than recordings of fireworks and gunshots.
“I need the wolves to respond and know that, hey, humans are bad,” they explained.
The Post has reached out to Johansson and Driver’s reps for comment.
“Marriage Story” was unironically lauded as “the best war movie of the year” in 2019, and Laura Dern went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of family law attorney Nora Fanshaw.
Director Noah Baumbach, during an interview with Awards Daily upon the film’s release, revealed that he always knew the movie would be called “Marriage Story” – even despite it being about a divorce.
“It was the title I had from the beginning,” he explained. “It took me a long time to fully commit to it. It’s interesting about the movie; it didn’t take a poetic title. It always felt like ‘Marriage Story’ was the right thing; in some ways, it’s both specific and generic at the same time.”
“Also, the narrative of marriage,” Baumbach continued. “What is a marriage? Who gets to tell the story of a marriage? Is a marriage a marriage if it’s over? All these questions are embedded in that title.”
