Scarlett Johansson was skeptical about starring as superhero Black Widow in the 2012 film The Avengers.
The 36-year-old actress admitted she initially thought the whole concept would be a ‘disaster’ to bring so many superheros together at once.
‘Even the thought of all of us together in our superhero costumes sounded like it was going to be a disaster. Not a disaster, but, like, “What is this? What is this?”‘ she told The Gentlewoman.
Second thoughts: Scarlett Johansson recently revealed that she was initially skeptical about taking on the role of Black Widow in the 2012 film The Avengers; she is pictured at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards in 2020
However, there was one moment during the filming of the 2012 film The Avengers that really made her feel like her role as Black Widow was ‘going to work.’
Speaking about the iconic shot of her and her castmates standing in the city as it burns around them, she added, ‘I remember doing that 360 shot, and we’re standing in the rubble of Grand Central or whatever, of this alien onslaught, and all of us are ready, like: “Here we go, this is it.”‘
She then remarked, ‘Then they showed us the playback, and I think that was the moment that all of us, finally, after six months of shooting, were, “Oh, this is going to work. I think this is going to work.”‘
Johansson has worked with many of directors over the years, and she admitted she ‘misses’ being able to ‘pull apart’ her role, as she did with Marriage Story director Noah Baumbach.
Better than expected: The actress expressed that she and her castmates thought that the concept of a large-scale superhero film ‘was going to be a disaster’; she is seen in character as Black Widow in 2012’s The Avengers
Addressing her concerns: The actress remarked that she and her fellow Avengers cast members were relieved when the filmmakers ‘showed us the playback’ of a scene where they all stood together in costume
The Academy Award-nominated actress noted, ‘Noah could talk things out forever. Forever. He could spend hours just talking through one scene, and it becomes part of our life.
‘He loves to pull all that stuff apart. I miss that, I miss that part of my job. The problem-solving, figuring out why stuff is not working – that’s the fun stuff,’ she said.
The performer then changed the discussion topic to her home life and told the publication that she felt like she was having an ‘out-of-body experience’ when the pandemic hit.
The star admitted she didn’t know what to do when news broke of the coronavirus pandemic and that she was utterly ‘flummoxed’ as the world suddenly shut down in front of her.
Figuring it out: While speaking about her time working with Marriage Story director Noah Baumbach, Johansson revealed that her favorite part about acting was ‘figuring out why stuff is not working’; she is seen performing in the 2019 film
Speaking about being forced to take time off amid the pandemic, she said, ‘I was kind of flummoxed. I don’t know, I was having an out-of-body experience … At the beginning, I was doing all this c*** that everyone was doing – like, I’ll start learning how to play guitar.
‘And then that stuff sort of faded away, and I realized actually that I exist pretty well in this space. I realize I don’t have to be constantly in motion to survive,’ she added.
Johansson also admitted that her daughter Rose Dorothy, aged five, played a huge part in making her feel ‘very grounded’ during the early stages of the global pandemic.
Weathering it out: Johansson expressed enthusiasm for returning to her typically busy career, but noted that she wanted to wait for when she and her coworkers could be safely ‘connected to one another’; she is seen at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
The actress expressed, ‘Eventually you have to accept that this is going to take the time it’s going to take and I had to be there for my daughter, obviously, immediately, like all parents. That’s very grounding.’
The Jojo Rabbit actress finally expressed that she would wait until the pandemic is over to resume her typically busy career.
She explained, ‘I just can’t work. I don’t think the conditions that are required to work right now are conditions that I could work comfortably under. I’d rather wait until I could work in an environment where we can be connected to one another.’