A heated scene between Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver's characters in the 2019 film "Marriage Story" is being used to save cattle from prowling wolves.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's project was revealed by The Wall Street Journal, which noted that ranchers are deploying drones equipped with thermal cameras and spotlights to protect livestock from wolves at night. The devices also play loud, unsettling noises, from fireworks and gunfire to clips of heated arguments, including a scene from "Marriage Story." They have also played AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" and Five Finger Death Punch's "Blue on Black" to try to scare away wolves they spot from their positions overhead.
"I need wolves to respond and know that, hey, humans are bad," a USDA district supervisor in Oregon told the outlet.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Oregon implemented "wolf hazing" techniques after wolves killed 11 cows in just 20 days. Following the introduction of drones to monitor the area using these methods, cattle losses dropped significantly to only two over the next 85 days.
"Marriage Story," written and directed by Noah Baumbach, was released by Netflix in 2019. The film features Johansson and Driver portraying a couple navigating a complicated bi-coastal divorce further strained by a custody battle over their son.
The movie received six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, and Laura Dern took home the award for Best Supporting Actress in 2020.
During a 2023 appearance on the Max interview show and podcast "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?" Driver said he avoided watching the film because of his own feelings about his parents splitting up, according to The Wrap.
"That movie in particular, I don't think I'll ever be able to watch," Driver said. "There's only a couple of times where I haven't had total — not control, I never lose control. You're always watching yourself. Because there's a technical part to filmmaking."
But, after watching an emotional clip from the film during his appearance on the show, Driver told Wallace, "Those scenes in particular were really difficult to shoot because it just brings up all this [expletive] that you don't solve at all by doing a scene."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.