Scarlett Johansson made her mark in the Marvel Cinematic Studios by playing Natasha Romanoff for nine years and became the first female Avenger. Johansson had starred in MCU's greatest films, such as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Though Johansson had already parted ways with the MCU after the events of Avengers: Endgame, wherein Romanoff had sacrificed herself to get the soul stone that eventually leads the success of the Avengers in their journey undoing the snap. The re-snap resurrected all of the victims but unfortunately, Romanoff isn't part of them but her sacrifice totally helped the entire Marvel Universe.
In 2021, Johansson starred again in a Black Widow prequel that features the character's solo adventure together with her estranged family and introduced her sister as the new Black Widow, Yelena Belova.
Throughout Johansson's career as Romanoff, the role also demands incredible effort in doing the stunts and pieces of training before portraying the character. The actress was involved in heavy stunts showcasing her athleticism and following a precise choreography, and of course with the help of a stunt double.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actress shared how Marvel's stunt work had affected her overall lifestyle.
Johansson admitted that her first appearance in the Iron Man 2 film only required her five weeks to prepare for the stunt sequences, the actress revealed, "That was a humongous moment for me because I was, I don’t know, 23 or 24 when I was cast in Iron Man 2. I had never stepped foot in a gym, and I had five weeks to prepare myself for these huge stunt sequences."
Johansson continued to discuss the difference between doing stunts in the past and how it is more challenging now, the actress also explained that her efforts in doing the stunts served as a 'massive lifestyle change' after being cast for the role:
“Back then when we were doing it, over a decade ago, it was before we kind of figured out how to be most efficient in the process of shooting stunt work—what could be handed off to other stunt people and what the actor would practically need to know. So I was doing these huge choreographed sequences and I had no previous experience with any of that stuff. It was just a massive lifestyle change immediately upon getting cast."
Johansson also reflected on how her past trainer, who was also training Deadpool star, Ryan Reynolds, had taken her under his wing to prepare the actress for her own stunts.
"I was living in L.A. at the time, and I went to this massive, huge, muscle meathead gym. I didn't know how to use any of the equipment. I mean, I was so intimidated. Luckily I had a really great trainer, this guy, Bobby Strom, who was training my husband at the time, Ryan [Reynolds]. And he took me under his wing and was so positive, and really made me understand what functional training was. And I could never go back the other way. Fitness is such an important part of my mental wellness. Other than that, I’ve had to bleach my eyebrows several times for different movies I’ve done. It’s always fun to live within your everyday life!"
Scarlett Johansson has portrayed a perfect Black Widow and we couldn't really imagine another character playing the role. All her efforts in training and preparations for the stunts had surely paid off.
Given that Johansson is still involved with Marvel Studios after almost a decade of playing the role of Natasha Romanoff, she could lend a hand to MCU's future stars about doing the stunts and give them insights on how to portray their own character.
Black Widow is still streaming on Disney+.
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