Scarlett Johansson unveils new, different role in Black Widow

By David Villafranca

Los Angeles, USA, Jul 7 (EFE).- After over a decade of playing one of the most significant characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, US actress Scarlett Johansson says goodbye to the superspy-turned-avenger role with a new act in upcoming thriller Black Widow.

The film, which will hit theatres on July 9, culminates the evolution of Natasha Romanoff from the initial sexualization of the character to the portrayal of its complex, human side, Johansson says.

“It (Black Widow) would have been very different if we made it 10 years ago,” Johansson said in an exclusive interview with Efe.

Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow, the first Marvel movie to hit big screens following the coronavirus-induced hiatus, also stars David Harbour, Rachel Weisz and Florence Pugh.

The movie, Marvel’s second female-led after Captain Marvel (2019), takes a dive into the mysterious past of Natasha, a spy who grew up in the Soviet Union and ended up fighting with the Avengers in the United States.

“We find Natasha in a very vulnerable place in this movie,” Johansson says.

“We used to see her supported by a larger organization or a larger team, and when we find her, at the beginning of this film, she’s really alone, probably for the first time ever.”

During recent interviews with various media outlets, Johansson grabbed attention after criticizing the “hypersexualization” of her character when she was introduced to the franchise in 2010.

Questioned by Efe about how she made sure this did not happen again in Black Widow, Johansson says that Natasha has “pretty evolved from where we started.”