Posted in: Netflix, streaming, TV | Tagged: mary elizabeth winstead, netflix, ramona flowers, scott pilgrim, scott pilgrim takes off, scott pilgrim vs. the world

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: Mary Elizabeth Winstead Talks Twists & Turns

Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Ahsoka) on her reaction to the dramatic changes in Netflix's Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and Ramona Flowers' evolution.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead has been fortunate enough to have several high-profile projects since the breakout hit in 2010's Scott Pilgrim vs the World playing the title character's (Michael Cera) love interest Ramona Flowers, as Scott must battle her seven evil exes to win her heart. Among the franchises she was able to join include two Die Hard films, 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), the TV incarnation of Fargo, DC's Birds of Prey (2020), and Star Wars' live-action series Ahsoka. She was even able to return to the Bryan Lee O'Malley wheelhouse and reprise her role as Ramona in the animated Scott Pilgrim Takes Off for Netflix in an alternative take on the story. The actress spoke to The Hollywood Reporter with Ahsoka season two news announced by Disney and touched on her experience in returning and reuniting with the cast, even if it's just in voice.

Staying in Touch with the 'Scott Pilgrim' Cast & Ramona's Evolution

Winstead's relationship with the Edgar Wright film cast is unlike any others she's had. "Definitely. I don't think I've been a part of a cast who've kept in touch in the same way, particularly not on one email chain," she said. "So I'd say that Scott Pilgrim is my only experience with that, and it's just so perfect for this group of people and the kind of sense of humor that has existed since everyone first got together. I love it so much." Interest was rekindled during the pandemic with the bulk of the cast's live conferenced reading. "I think so. My memory isn't perfect, but from what I recall, pretty much all of us replied really quickly to say we were in with really simple, quick responses," she explained. "It was an easy thing to say yes to. It was a great opportunity to get to revisit these characters in a way that could work with all of our schedules, and there was absolutely no reason not to do it. It was just a perfect opportunity. And then when the scripts eventually came in, it was just mind-blowing how amazing they were."

The biggest departure in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was it became more of an ensemble series than focusing on Pilgrim's fights that saw him lose his first fight to Matthew Patel and Ramona investigating his disappearance, "I had been a little bit tipped off to the fact that Ramona was going to have a bit more of a focus this time around, but I'm accustomed to being somewhat jaded to those kinds of things just because I've been around the block a long time," Winstead said. "A lot of times, when someone says you're going to be more of the focus, it's sometimes not quite true or doesn't really feel quite true. So I didn't really get my hopes up too much, and then I just couldn't believe how profoundly beautiful [series co-creators Bryan Lee O'Malley and BenDavid Grabinski] made that swerve. They wove the story together in a totally new way, and I was just so impressed."

It was a refreshing new take and journey for Winstead. "Yeah, I was so surprised by how much it affected me. I thought it would just be a lot of fun to do, which it was, but there was also something really healing about revisiting your younger self," she said. "Any character is yourself in some way, and getting to bring a character of mine forward into a new place in her life; it affected me more deeply than I anticipated." As far as if we could expect a season two or another Scott Pilgrim-related project soon, "Yeah, I think we would all jump at the opportunity to do it if there was an amazing story to tell and Bryan said, 'I've got this incredible story,' but I also wouldn't want to place that pressure on him. Like I said earlier, part of the reason why this was so special is because it took years to bubble up," she said. "He was able to create something with BenDavid that was totally unexpected after all this time and through this new lens of life. So I wouldn't expect that to happen again in a super quick way, not because they're not incredibly talented, but because things should take time. So that's my long-winded way of saying that I'm up for whatever they want to do, but my expectation is that it won't come along anytime soon."

For more, including how Winstead and why the time helped O'Malley and creator Bendavid Grabinski develop Takes Off into something special, revisiting Ramona, and how changing her hair every episode added nuance to her character, you can check out the interview here. All episodes of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is available on Netflix.

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