The last year or so has been pretty great for actress Florence Pugh. Not only did she star in this summer’s “Midsommar,” but she also appeared in the surprise hit “Fighting with My Family,” as well as the acclaimed TV series “The Little Drummer Girl.” Now, she’s right in the middle of the awards discussion with her latest stand-out performance in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming “Little Women.” But honestly, none of this can compare to the absolute insanity that awaits Pugh in May 2020 when “Black Widow” arrives in theaters.
Speaking to Variety, as part of its “Actors on Actors” series, Pugh explained how her life has already changed thanks to the Marvel Studios superhero film, and how “Black Widow” might surprise MCU fans.
“It was one of the most bizarre, nuts, extravaganza experiences,” Pugh said. “I just finished on it about three weeks ago. Landed the role in March, April, started prepping in May, and then we shot throughout the whole of summer. We shot in London, Budapest, Morocco, and then they went to Atlanta for a bit.”
Pugh went on to describe working with star Scarlett Johansson, as well as director Kate Shortland, as “a very, very unique and special experience.” And in teasing the tone and the story of “Black Widow,” Pugh said that she thinks people are going to be surprised by the amount of “heart” the superhero action film has.
“I think we’ve made something very raw and very painful and very beautiful and I think people are going to be really surprised by the outcome of a big action film having that much heart,” she explained. “And I know lots of people will be emotional about [Johansson] because her character had such a hard ending [in “Avengers: Endgame”], but it was special learning from her, and she’s been doing this for like 10 years in those films. For this to be her film was special. And I got to be there and see how she does stunts and lives it, and it’s so her.”
It’s speculated that Pugh is portraying Yelena Belova in the upcoming film. And because of that character having a long history of being called Black Widow in the comic books, fans expect that the new film will serve as a passing of the torch from Johansson to Pugh, as the new Black Widow of the MCU moving forward.
We’ll find out when “Black Widow” arrives in theaters on May 1, 2020.