Considering she has donned the title of Black Widow for the past decade in the MCU, it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing Natasha Romanoff other than Scarlett Johansson. However, Emily Blunt was the initial choice of the studio for the role. She was set to star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Black Widow but had to back out due to some schedule issues. Johansson eventually landed the part, which went on to make her a household name.
Not only did the role bring her worldwide recognition, but it also established her among the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, having a net worth of $165 million. With every film, her salary also soared. Johansson started her MCU journey with a paycheck of $400k in Iron Man 2 and was paid $20 million salary for her 2021 film Black Widow. Despite losing the opportunity, what could have been one of the biggest roles of her career, Blunt has no bad blood or regret for losing the Marvel role to the Lucy actress.
Emily Blunt on Losing Black Widow to Scarlett Johansson
Before Scarlett Johansson officially landed the role of Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, in the MCU, Emily Blunt was in talks to portray the character. Everything was almost finalized before she had to deny the offer due to her commitment to Rob Letterman’s live-action adaptation of Gulliver’s Travels.
Scarlett Johansson, who was “frustrated and hopeless” after initially being rejected for the role, eventually got the part. Followed by her MCU debut in the Iron Man sequel, she reprised her character in multiple Marvel films over the years and was last seen in her solo MCU feature, Black Widow.
The Oppenheimer actress recently talked about The Avengers star while discussing the potential characters she could play in the superhero franchise. Talking about the Marvel character, she said, “Come on, the best girl got it,” before adding that Johansson has been amazing in her role.
While Iron Man 2 was a box office and critical hit, Blunt’s Gulliver’s Travels made $237 million on a budget of $112 million and was not a favorite among critics as well. However, Blunt doesn’t seem to regret her decision as she called the movie a “fun junket” during her interview.
Read More: Oppenheimer Star Emily Blunt Won’t Return to $327M Sequel Unless It Fulfills This One Condition
Emily Blunt is Not a Superhero Person
During her interview with Josh Horowitz, Emily Blunt reacted to her rumored MCU roles, which included Captain Marvel, Peggy Carter, and Sue Storm for the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot. However, she denied any such possibilities, saying that she never actually met Marvel executives regarding such things.
“Rumors. Talk. Queries. That kind of thing,” she said. The actress also talked about her husband, John Krasinski, portraying Mr. Fantastic in the Doctor Strange sequel. When asked if she saw him in the movie, Blunt said, “I saw his bit.” However, she seemed to have a hard time remembering the movie’s name.
She tried and guessed, saying, “Was it Doctor Strange?” before adding, “I’m the worst person to be asked about it.” The Sicario actress stated the same earlier, saying that she has no “burning desire” to star in a superhero film.
Source: Josh Horowitz via YouTube
