After more than a decade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Scarlett Johansson is finally reflecting on the personal toll that comes with being part of Hollywood’s biggest superhero franchise. Known to millions as Black Widow, Johansson recently opened up in a conversation with Black Widow co-star David Harbour for Interview magazine, sharing what it was really like filming with massive ensemble casts and playing the same character for 11 years.
Johansson didn’t hold back when discussing the emotional and creative challenges she faced on certain Marvel projects. “Some of the films that I did for Marvel engaged my character more than others,” she admitted. “Like in Captain America: The Winter Soldier with Chris [Evans], we were really dynamic. But in some of the other films, the cast was so enormous and there was so much plot to serve that you start to feel like you’re a device to move it along.”
While Johansson acknowledged the incredible scale and popularity of the MCU, she also pointed out the personal sacrifices that came with it. “If you’re committed to five and a half months of that, it’s like, ‘Okay. I can’t paint my nails, I can’t get a haircut,’” she explained. “These sound like silly problems, but your identity is wrapped up in this job for a long time. And if you’re not doing engaging work as an actor, you feel a little cagey sometimes.”
Harbour, who played Red Guardian in Black Widow and stars in the upcoming Thunderbolts movie, could relate. Having portrayed Hopper in Stranger Things for nearly a decade, he acknowledged that long-term roles come with their own set of frustrations.
“When I started, I loved it so much,” Harbour said of his Stranger Things journey. “But by season three or four, you do start to wonder, ‘How much more story is there?’ You’re having to play a lot of the same beats, and after a while, you want to take a risk, to do something people haven’t seen you do before.”
Interestingly, Harbour also revealed that Johansson was originally listed as an executive producer on Thunderbolts, a film that features several Black Widow characters. But Johansson quickly clarified her involvement, or lack thereof. “I asked to have my credit removed because I wasn’t involved,” she said, suggesting the credit may have been included for contractual reasons.
Despite stepping away from the franchise following her character’s death in Avengers: Endgame, Johansson’s impact on the MCU remains substantial. Her character helped pave the way for complex, nuanced female heroes in a world largely dominated by male leads—and her honesty about the toll of long-term franchise work adds a layer of humanity to the glossy superhero machine.
With Thunderbolts on the horizon and Harbour returning as Alexei alongside Florence Pugh’s Yelena, the legacy of Black Widow lives on—even as Johansson herself moves on to new creative challenges.