Scarlett Johansson & Adam Driver Screams Scare Wolves from Cattle
Hi, I’m Jaden Patel. Ah yes, another thrilling day in the human circus, now starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as unlikely ranch hands. The USDA has quietly started blasting the four-minute divorce scream from the 2019 Netflix hit Marriage Story to keep wolves away from cattle, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Drone cowboys equipped with thermal cameras patrol the ranch under cover of darkness. When a wolf shows up on the heat scope, the quadcopter spotlight locks on its silhouette and a loudspeaker erupts with everything from simulated gunshots to the Johansson-Driver showdown. One USDA district supervisor in Oregon told the WSJ that the vocal tear-down scene works just as well, if not better, than traditional fireworks recordings.
Local ranchers in the Klamath Basin deployed this strategy after losing 11 cows to wolf attacks in a span of 20 days. Over the subsequent 85 days—with drones on nighttime patrol—only two cows were lost. Talking head sound design meets rugged livestock protection, all rolled into one tactical stereo recording.
This form of wolf hazing isn’t entirely new. Wildlife managers have long used loud noises and bright lights to deter predators. What’s fresh is resorting to an Oscar-nominated drama as auditory artillery. Marriage Story earned nods for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress at the 2020 Academy Awards, but who knew farm life would be its next audience?
Director Noah Baumbach named the movie well before a single breakup scene was shot. He told Awards Daily that Marriage Story felt both generic and specific, a fitting title for a film about divorce. Little did he suspect his drama would double as a predator deterrent. Nearby, AC/DC’s 1990 hard-rock anthem Thunderstruck shares equal billing in the scare-off playlist.
More than a quirky anecdote, this approach highlights how conservation agencies blend pop culture with proven wildlife management tactics. The USDA’s success in southern Oregon shows creative problem solving can come in everything from shotgun blasts to cinematic breakdowns.
What’s next for these drone cowhands? Will teenagers reenact pivotal fight scenes to protect vineyards? Only time will tell. For now, wolves beware: hearing Johansson and Driver tear into their divorce might be just the thing keeping your dinner table empty.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and The Wall Street Journal, USDA report, New York Post
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
