SCARLET JOHANNSON

Avengers: Endgame, the sequel to last year’s blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War, is possibly the most anticipated comic book movie ever.  It is expected to conclude the last decade of Marvel Studio films and usher in a new era. Black Widow actress Scarlett Johannson discussed her character’s arc over nine years and six films.

BLACK WIDOW

At a recent press conference, Iron Man director Jon Favreau, asked several questions of the actors playing the surviving Avengers. Speaking to Johannson, Favreau, also the director of Iron Man 2, said, “You have been part of this since Iron Man 2. And your character has always represented women as strong and equal. And for you, what is the best part of playing a character in this universe?” She replied,“Well, the character has changed over, from when you and I first met and worked together and Hi Jon. How is it going?” She continued, “I mean, initially, the character, and actually, I was talking with [Danai Gurira] about this yesterday. We spent the whole day together analyzing this whole journey. But the character really started as a sort of sexy secretary with a skill set on the side.”

A VERY BELOVED CHARACTER

Favreau interjected, “Posing as.” Johannson replied,“Posing as. Thank you. And we didn’t know. Or I certainly didn’t know how the audience would react to the character, my interpretation of the character. And obviously a very beloved character for a long time. And I feel– and then the next time that we saw her in Avengers, she was sort of one of the boys for better or worse. And that made sense then. And as I think the fans and the audiences have really pushed, certainly Marvel, but pushed all the studios and filmmakers to really throw up on the screen what represents, what’s going on in the zeitgeist, and wanting to see diverse films and casts that represents their own aspirations and how they feel.”

BEYOND MY WILDEST DREAMS

“I feel the character has sort of grown in reaction to that. And the movies have really grown in reaction to that kind of fan encouragement. And honestly, I have to say it’s so, I remember when Lizzie signed on. Colby was there. We were all clinging to each other just to, I felt like I had been in this testosterone fest for such a long time. It was so nice to see other female cast members. And then with Brie coming on and Karen and Danai. And you know, it’s really, I feel like I’m in just this, I’m amongst so many wonderful actors, so many strong actors, and such a… it’s just grown beyond my wildest dreams. I could never have imagined where this would take us. And all of us. It’s been quite a journey.”