Posted in: Marvel Studios, Movies | Tagged: black widow, film, florence pugh, marvel, mcu

Florence Pugh on Black Widow Characters "Repairing" After Trauma

Published Tue, 15 Jun 2021 19:47:14 -0500

After a lot of release date shifting and unfortunate circumstances, we're getting closer to experiencing the (possibly) last Marvel film with Scarlett Johansson as the titular character.

It's been a long road for Marvel and Black Widow fans, in particular, to get this film released but come July, we'll be getting more familiar with the character and a slew of new characters tied to the hero. One character fans are excited to discover on-screen (who is said to be the next generation's Black Widow) is Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, a sister-like character to Johansson's character who she also helped train in the Red Room.

In a recent interview published over at Collider, Pugh discussed her take on the Black Widow film, and when asked about the training program for her character, she noted, "I think that's one of the heartbreaks about this film is that it is essentially about women that have been abused. Whether it's about a system or whether it's about physical abuse. They've all been in some way trapped, and I think this film is the realization of the life that was taken from them, and that's how Natasha and Yelena start repairing, I suppose. So, I don't think she's too happy about that. Then again, it's the only thing she's known, so I don't know."

Black Widow - Disney/Marvel — (L-R): Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Yelena (Florence Pugh) in Marvel Studios' BLACK WIDOW, in theaters, and on Disney+ with Premier Access. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Marvel's Black Widow standalone film is already emitting a makeshift family feel-good energy, but make no mistake; the action is still very much at the core of the movie – and Pugh's character Yelena. Describing what her character brings to the MCU, the actor divulged, "She kind of gets the job done and, whether that's fighting someone or verbally abusing someone, it's all pretty straightforward and pretty Bolshie, and I've loved playing her. She's ready to fight, whether it's an argument or physical. There's no stopping her."

Black Widow is currently looking at a July 9, 2021 release date, heading to theaters and Disney+ over the summer after more than a few pandemic-related postponements. Are you excited for a new Black Widow story?

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