Was Saoirse Ronan Offered To Play Yelena In Black Widow Which Passed To Florence Pugh? Actress Reveals

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As a cinephile who has followed Saoirse Ronan‘s career since her days as the young and fiery Briony Tallis in “Atonement,” I can’t help but admire her versatility and discernment when it comes to choosing roles. Her life experience, which includes a multitude of critically acclaimed performances, has given her the confidence to turn down roles that might not align with her artistic vision.

Saoirse Ronan nearly joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but she’s content with her decision not to take on the role of Yelena, the younger sister of Natasha Romanoff (played by Scarlett Johansson), in Black Widow. During a conversation on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, host Josh Horowitz asked about the possibility of her portraying Yelena. “Were you approached for the role of Yelena? Did you almost play Yelena in Black Widow?” were his exact words.

After a moment of hesitation, Ronan inquired, “How did you learn of that news?” When the host disclosed that whispers of the casting rumors had circulated for some time, the actress admitted she was unaware of it. Upon hearing her evasive response, Horowitz chuckled and declared he would interpret her silence as confirmation.

When queried about joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actress from Little Women responded, “Marvel isn’t really for me. Instead, I’d rather take on a Bond-like role.” Nevertheless, she expressed her desire to participate in large-scale productions like Marvel in the future. She explained, “I have nothing against [Marvel] and I believe they create fantastic films. I’m eager to star in more blockbuster movies.

Currently, Ronan finds herself drawn to working on substantial standalone movies. Yet, she acknowledged that the privilege of knowing a project will reach audiences is something special.

After the success of Greta Gerwig’s recent film Barbie, Saoirse Ronan expressed her enthusiasm for taking up various roles in movies, including musicals. “I want to do that!” she exclaimed about the 2023 summer blockbuster. She enjoys grand productions and hopes to perform in a musical. Furthermore, she desires to participate in diverse projects. Despite turning down the part of Yelena, she was saddened not to play the quirky character Lune Lovegood from Harry Potter.

There are instances where something you’ve shared comes back to you, and you realize, ‘Oh dear, that was a mistake on my part.’ However, the one thing that has lingered in my memory over time,” she mentioned during her interview with Jimmy Kimmel, “is the loss of the Harry Potter role.

Concerning Yelena, the part eventually went to Florence Pugh. She continued her character in the Hawkeye series on Disney+ and will reappear alongside other morally ambiguous superheroes in the upcoming film, The Thunderbolts, scheduled for release on May 2, 2025.

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2024-10-07 20:52