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The 27-year-old English actress Florence Pugh made her MCU debut with the 2021 filmBlack Widowalongside Scarlett Johansson. Pugh’s Yelena Belova was one of the things fans loved about the 2021 Marvel film, and fans have been looking forward to her journey in the MCU. So far, she has reprised her role in Disney’s Hawkeye and is all set to join the anti-hero team,Thunderboltsin the upcoming Marvel film.
Now that theMidsommarstar has won over hearts with her incredible performance, it would be hard for fans to imagine someone else as Yelena. However, the director of the film Cate Shortland reportedly wanted to cast Emma Watson as Natasha Romanoff’s adoptive sister in the 2021 film.
Read More:“I automatically get a lumpy throat when I talk about it”: Marvel Star Florence Pugh Was Heartbroken After Breaking Up With Ex-boyfriend Who Was 20 Years Older Than Her
Florence Pugh Was Not the Initial Choice For Yelena Belova
Following the events ofCaptain America: Civil War,Black Widowintroduced Natasha’s adoptive sister, Yelena Belova, who was also trained in the Red Room.Florence Pughstole the show in the 2021 Marvel filmBlack Widow.
However, before the production of the film officially started in 2019, reports suggested that director Cate Shortland was fixated on theHarry Potterstar Emma Watson for Yelena’s role. Marvel executives Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum were also supportive of Shortland’s idea.
The shortlisted contenders for the role also included Saoirse Ronan, Alice Englert, and Dar Zuzovsky. But the opportunity finally went to Florence Pugh. Director Cate Shortland shared that she finalized theLady Macbethstar for the MCU film after seeing her performance in the 2019 sports drama,Fighting With My Family.
Read More:“We love each other”: Florence Pugh Does Not Regret Working With Zach Braff Right After Their Breakup in $2 Million Movie ‘A Good Person’
Florence Pugh Beat Emma Watson to Star inBlack Widow
Emma Watson as Yelena Belova would have been much more different than what Florence Pugh presented in the 2021 movie. While that would always be a topic of discussion, director Cate Shortland knew what she was looking for after watching Pugh in the 2019 filmFighting With My Family.
The biographical sports drama follows the story of professional WWE wrestler Paige and her brother Zak Zodiac. Pugh portrayed the lead Saraya Bevis in the film, and theBlack Widowdirector was impressed with her performance.
She shared that she was excited to work with theOutlaw Kingactress. The 27-year-old actress has a dancing and athletic background, which also came in handy for her Marvel role. She reportedly performed most of her stunts in the film and was able to match Johansson’s energy on screen.
She will reprise her MCU role in the upcoming movieThunderboltsalongside Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, herBlack Widowco-star David Harbour, along with other MCU characters.
Thunderboltsis set to release on July 09, 2025.
Read More:Florence Pugh’s Screen Time Reportedly Shortened in Thunderbolts Movie to Shift Focus From Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow Family
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Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3451
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
