2020-04-01_Total_Film

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reason to do it unless we could really

dig deep and be brave and go there,”

continues Johansson. “Having played

this character for a decade, I wanted to

make sure that it would feel artistically

and creatively rewarding for me as well

as the fans.”

In short, don’t go expecting a

straightforward origin story for the

MCU’s most elusive player, who

debuted in 2010’s Iron Man 2 before

featuring in seven further films. “She

has such a rich backstory,” says Marvel

Studios president Kevin Feige. “We’ve

hinted at it throughout all the other

films. But we approach it in a

completely unexpected way. She’s been

up to a lot all along – in between when

we see her in the other movies – some

of which will be surprising to people.”

One of the pillars of the MCU’s

success has been its ability to adapt

its characters to surprising genre

choices, like paranoid thriller (Captain

America: The Winter Soldier), heist movie

(Ant-Man), high-school comedy

(Spider-Man: Homecoming) and

psychedelic space fantasy (Thor:

Ragnarok). Black Widow once again

uses another unexpected format.

“One of the themes of the film is

family,” explains Johansson. “What is

family? How does it define us? How

does our past define us? How does our

family – however we define it – make

up who we are, for better or worse?”

Natasha, the Avengers’ rogue operative,

will find herself in a very unexpected

assignment... a family drama.

“I think part of Kevin Feige’s genius

is that he always thinks about what fans

expect out of these films and then gives

them something that they never

could’ve dreamed of,” adds Johansson.

“The idea of Natasha Romanoff in a

family drama is the least expected

thing, and I had to wrap my head

around what that was going to be

because there’s such a big tonal shift.”

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Don’t go expecting a kitchen-sink

drama, though. This is Natasha’s

family we’re talking about. A

tight-knit group of spies, her

‘family’ all have links to the Red

Room where Natasha’s training took

place (as glimpsed via her flashback in

Avengers: Age Of Ultron). That family

includes her ‘sis’, Yelena Belova

(Florence Pugh), Melina Vostokoff

(Rachel Weisz) and Alexei, aka Red

Guardian (David Harbour).

By the way Johansson describes it,

Natasha and Yelena are a chalk-and-

cheese pairing. “Natasha is very

pragmatic, while Yelena is all emotion,

all out there,” she says. “It was

wonderful to be able to do those scenes

with Florence because she’s such a

wonderful actor – playful and soulful.

It was easy to feel connected to her.”

“One of the coolest things about

playing Yelena is just how complex and

broken she is for someone who is so

sure of what she does,” adds Pugh.

“She knows exactly how to function in

the areas in which she’s been trained,

but she has no clue how to live as a

human being. She’s a lethal weapon

but also a bit of a kid. That’s been one

of the nicest qualities about her.”

Mother figure Melina has a

long-standing connection to the

Red Room, having been through

the Widow program four times

herself. “Melina is basically a

first-generation Widow,” says

Johansson of Weisz’s

character. “She has been through all

the things that Natasha has been

through in a way that is somehow even

more dehumanising.”

David Harbour’s Alexei is, according

to Johansson, “a kind of paternal

figure... [Natasha] has a contentious

relationship with him. I think in a lot of

ways she is like a first-born in his mind.

He has very high expectations for her to

live up to.” Alexei – as hinted at by his

striking helmet and intimidating

codename – is something of a Russian,

gone-to-seed counterpoint to the

United States’ Captain America. “While

the Americans were creating their hero,

the Russians were developing the Red

Guardian,” notes Stranger Things star

Harbour. “The problem was that he did

not become as famous as Captain

America, and it’s the great tragedy of

his life. He feels very unappreciated.”

The driving force behind this

unlikely family reunion is a common

enemy: a mask-wearing, bow-wielding

assassin who goes by the call sign

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TOTAL FILM | APRIL 2020

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