It’s not a spoiler to say that Black Widow will act as a bit of a baton pass from Scarlett Johansson to her co-star, Florence Pugh. Not in the fact that Pugh will become the next Black Widow (that absolutely would be a spoiler), but more in the fact that Yelena Belova (Pugh) already has been confirmed to be part of the Disney+ Hawkeye series, and Natasha Romanova (Johansson) is, well, dead. It’s safe to assume which actress the MCU is going to invest in. Part of that reasoning led to Pugh telling CinemaBlend the Marvel moment that had her terrified, and sweating profusely. Watch the fun interview moment in the clip above.
Easily one of the most difficult components of being a performer in the MCU has to be the rigorous protocols surrounding plot secrecy on your given projects. Because the Marvel Studios movies (and now television shows) tend to contribute to a larger arc of storytelling, fans and journalists often ask actors what scenes and script lines mean, in the grand scheme.
Black Widow marks Florence Pugh’s first “dance” in a Marvel movie, and she was talking to CinemaBlend about the warnings she received regarding what she could reveal to press at San Diego Comic-Con. If you didn’t know this, actors and directors absolutely are prepped by publicists regarding what they can and can not share with media before big events -- like a red-carpet walk at Comic-Con. And this concept terrified Pugh, because she feared she would reveal something crucial that she shouldn’t.
Marvel Studios apparently told Florence Pugh that she couldn’t admit that Yelena, her character, was Natasha’s sister. She also couldn’t reveal that her character was an assassin, even though (as Pugh correctly points out) just about every Marvel fan knew this to be the case. As Pugh concludes:
So I just remember that entire weekend sweating profusely the entire time, and anyone that asked me any question, I was like, ‘(Forced laughter) You just wait!’ And that was basically it.
Florence Pugh will have to continue practicing that expert deflection as she continues her way in the MCU. As I mentioned above, she will appear alongside Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld (as Kate Bishop) in the Hawkeye series that arrives later this year. We don’t know where Yelena can appear in an upcoming Marvel movie, but this guide we have will post that information as soon as it is announced and confirmed.
Also, Black Widow lands in theaters and on Disney+ starting on July 9, so plan accordingly. The rental fee will be that $30 Premier Access on the streaming service, but you will get to watch it over and over… even though we’d argue that Cate Shortland’s movie deserves the big-screen treatment.
