The 27-year-old English actress Florence Pugh made her MCU debut with the 2021 film Black Widow alongside Scarlett Johansson. Pugh’s Yelena Belova was one of the things fans loved about the 2021 Marvel film, and fans have been looking forward to her journey in the MCU. So far, she has reprised her role in Disney’s Hawkeye and is all set to join the anti-hero team, Thunderbolts in the upcoming Marvel film.

Now that the Midsommar star has won over hearts with her incredible performance, it would be hard for fans to imagine someone else as Yelena. However, the director of the film Cate Shortland reportedly wanted to cast Emma Watson as Natasha Romanoff’s adoptive sister in the 2021 film.

Florence Pugh Was Not the Initial Choice For Yelena Belova

Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Black Widow introduced Natasha’s adoptive sister, Yelena Belova, who was also trained in the Red Room. Florence Pugh stole the show in the 2021 Marvel film Black Widow.

Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh in Black Widow

However, before the production of the film officially started in 2019, reports suggested that director Cate Shortland was fixated on the Harry Potter star Emma Watson for Yelena’s role. Marvel executives Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum were also supportive of Shortland’s idea.

The shortlisted contenders for the role also included Saoirse Ronan, Alice Englert, and Dar Zuzovsky. But the opportunity finally went to Florence Pugh. Director Cate Shortland shared that she finalized the Lady Macbeth star for the MCU film after seeing her performance in the 2019 sports drama, Fighting With My Family. 

Florence Pugh Beat Emma Watson to Star in Black Widow

Emma Watson as Yelena Belova would have been much more different than what Florence Pugh presented in the 2021 movie. While that would always be a topic of discussion, director Cate Shortland knew what she was looking for after watching Pugh in the 2019 film Fighting With My Family. 

Fighting With My Family (2019)

The biographical sports drama follows the story of professional WWE wrestler Paige and her brother Zak Zodiac. Pugh portrayed the lead Saraya Bevis in the film, and the Black Widow director was impressed with her performance.

She shared that she was excited to work with the Outlaw King actress. The 27-year-old actress has a dancing and athletic background, which also came in handy for her Marvel role. She reportedly performed most of her stunts in the film and was able to match Johansson’s energy on screen.

Florence Pugh, Cate Shortland, and Scarlett Johansson

She will reprise her MCU role in the upcoming movie Thunderbolts alongside Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, her Black Widow co-star David Harbour, along with other MCU characters.