Scarlett Johansson discusses the difficulties encountered while shooting a Marvel movie with a big cast.
The actress who portrayed Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a span of 11 years had a conversation with David Harbour, her fellow actor from the 2021 film “Black Widow”, for Interview magazine, discussing the challenges she faced in playing the same character repeatedly over such a long period.
Johansson confessed that some of the Marvel movies she starred in gave her character more depth than others. For instance, working with Chris Evans on ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ was particularly dynamic. However, in other films, the cast was so large and the storyline so complex that it felt like she was merely a prop to advance the plot. Spending five and a half months immersed in such a situation can limit personal freedoms like getting a haircut or painting nails. Though these may seem trivial issues, over a prolonged period, a lack of engaging acting work can make one feel somewhat restricted.
In 2021’s “Black Widow”, Harbor assumed the role of Alexei, serving as a prequel since Johansson’s character met her end in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame”. Interestingly, the actor portraying Thunderbolts’ character can empathize with Johansson, given his long-standing role as Hopper in “Stranger Things” on Netflix, which is now approaching its fifth and final season this year.
He shared that at the beginning, he was deeply fond of what he was doing. His friends who had been in television for a long time told him, “By season three or four, you’ll be in charge.” He responded, “Never! I adore all these people so much.” However, as time passed, he began to wonder, “How many more stories are there?” He found himself repeating certain patterns and yearned for a change. So, after a decade, he thought, “Alright, it’s time.” In simpler terms, he started loving what he did, but after some time, he felt the need for a fresh challenge.
In the midst of our chat, Harbour casually dropped that Johansson is one of the executive producers for my latest flick, “Thunderbolts.” I can’t help but feel a rush as I imagine myself, the seventh Thunderbolt, on the opening day of this movie. My character is front and center in this production, and to top it off, I’m an executive producer too! Kudos to us both!
Johansson went on to explain that she requested to be excluded from the credit since she hadn’t actively participated in the project, implying that her name might have appeared due to some legal obligations or contractual agreements.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Alexei and Yelena, portrayed by actors Harbour and Florence Pugh respectively, first appeared in the movie “Black Widow”. Later on, they took the lead roles in the upcoming film titled “Thunderbolts*“. The cast for “Black Widow” included Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen, Olga Kurylenko and Geraldine Viswanathan as well.
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2025-06-11 07:24