While Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow was plagued with many controversies on and off screen leading to its failure at the box office, the film still benefited from not one, but two swashbuckling female performances that lit up the screen. Apart from Johansson, British star and one of Hollywood’s recent sensations Florence Pugh made her presence felt as Yelena Belova, and matched her senior Marvel co-star step for step.
While Pugh was considered by many viewers as the perfect choice for the role, she almost did not play the character of Yelena Belova in the film. According to inside sources, 4-time Oscar-nominated actor Saoirse Ronan was considered for the part, but reportedly rejected the offer. Following this bit of information, netizens took to social media to give their opinions on Ronan’s possible casting.
This Actor Almost Replaced Florence Pugh In Black Widow – Marvel Fans React
Florence Pugh’s arresting performance as Yelena Belova in 2021’s Black Widow, stood out despite its significant box office failure. Pugh’s character will now expand further in the upcoming Thunderbolts films which is due to release in 2025. Interestingly, the Oppenheimer star almost did not make the cut in Black Widow over another actor who was considered for the role.
According to inside sources in Marvel, Oscar-nominated star Saoirse Ronan was approached to portray Yelena Belova in the film. The Little Women actor though, rejected the offer as she was reportedly not interested in signing up for a Marvel collaboration at the time. Following this information, netizens took to social media to express their opinions. While some felt that Ronan would have done an equally good job like Pugh, others believed that she dodged a bullet by declining the offer.
Good thing she declined 🙏🏼
— Zero (@zerowontmiss) January 4, 2024
Florence is great but Ronan would have been too, she’s an amazing actress
— Alex (RANGERS WORLD SERIES CHAMPS🔥🔥🔥) (@DFWAlex2289) January 4, 2024
More and more people denying the MCU, kinda crazy how the times have changed. 🤯
— Trev 🎴 (@TrevorVandeberg) January 4, 2024
Saoirse Ronan is too good for them anyway
Florence Pugh too— Kafka Twigs (@Kafka_Twigs) January 4, 2024
Perfect that she declined. I don’t want to see Saoirse in any superhero film.
— donaldstrange #Ahsoka #Loki #One Piece (@Diego01852452) January 4, 2024
While there have been mixed responses regarding Ronan’s possible casting as Yelena Belova, Florence Pugh meanwhile, proved her worth and justified her selection with a strong performance in the film.
Florence Pugh Was Discouraged From Becoming A Marvel Star
Florence Pugh’s arresting presence and acting talent quickly made her one of the rising stars in Hollywood. Expectedly, the big leagues beckoned with Marvel signing her on for a marquee gig as Natasha Romanov aka Black Widow’s sister, Yelena Belova in the 2021 film Black Widow. Pugh will now be seen in 2025’s Thunderbolts in which her character will play a significant role in expanding the MCU.
However, the Don’t Worry Darling actor was warned against collaborating with the franchise before she ultimately signed on the dotted line. In an interview with Total Film, Pugh recalled the specific words of advice she received from the indie-film industry where she first made her name with films like The Wonder, Lady Macbeth, and Midsommer. Elaborating on her opinions regarding the same, she said,
“When I first signed onto Marvel, lots of people from the indie-film world were all telling me that I was never going to go back to small movies again, and it always kind of wound me up. Because I think there’s beauty in all types of those films. There’s beauty in the massive, epic storylines like Dune, like Marvel, like even Oppenheimer that I did. They’re amazing, mega movies.”
While stating that she would never give up on doing the smaller independent films that gave her the initial recognition, Pugh added that she was wary of not getting typecast or slotted into any one genre of cinema.
