Scarlett Johansson's husband is "shocked" after the actress filed for a divorce, his lawyer has said.

Johansson said in the divorce filing, made in a New York Court on Tuesday, that her marriage to former French journalist Romain Dauriac was "irretrievably broken".

She is asking for joint custody of their three-year-old daughter, Rose, but wants the child to live with her.

Mr Dauriac's lawyer, Hal Mayerson, described the divorce filing as a "pre-emptive strike" in a battle for custody of their daughter.

Mr Dauriac was taken aback by the request because the father has been the "primary parent" while Johansson has been involved with her career, his lawyer said.


"Mr Dauriac is tired of having to run his life and his child's life based on Ms Johansson's shooting schedule," Mr Mayerson said.

Johansson's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Image: Johansson and Dauriac pictured in Paris in December

The Avengers star, 32, and Mr Dauriac were married in 2014 in Montana, months after the birth of their daughter.

Johansson first sparked rumours of divorce when she was pictured without a wedding ring in December.

In January the couple confirmed they had split during the summer after less than two years of marriage.

Attending the red carpet at this year's Academy Awards, Johansson was accompanied by her agent and not her husband.

"I think the idea of marriage is very romantic; it's a beautiful idea, and the practice of it can be a very beautiful thing," she recently said in an interview with Playboy magazine.

"I don't think it's natural to be a monogamous person."

When finalised, it will be the second divorce for Johansson.

She was previously married to Ryan Reynolds, but they split in 2011.