Summary

In an interview with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, Florence Pugh discusses the complexity and evolution of Yelena across her time so far in the MCU.

Pugh discusses her goal to create a unique and complex portrayal of Yelena with vulnerability and leadership qualities.

Yelena’s journey in Thunderbolts* showcases her ability to care for and uplift vulnerable individuals, and her leadership qualities, reflecting her sister’s influence.

When Florence Pugh introduced her live-action version of Yelena Belova to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Black Widow, the sense of humor and emotional depth she provided instantly cemented her as one of the fan-favorite roles to be introduced to the franchise post Avengers: Endgame.
That emotional complexity will be seen on-screen next in Thunderbolts*, where she is joined again by David Harbour’s Red Guardian, as well as Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava Starr/Ghost, Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster, and Lewis Pullman as Bob.
Ahead of the film’s release, Collider’s Perri Nemiroff discussed what it was like bringing Yelena to the screen again for Thunderbolts*. Pugh reflects on her evolving role within the MCU, discussing how her journey across the films and the Hawkeye series has shaped both her character and her influence within the franchise. She also covers the responsibility and honor of leading a new ensemble of characters, how she aimed to bring complexity and vulnerability to Yelena’s arc, and the emotional textures that make Thunderbolts* feel distinct from what has become the more familiar MCU production. Pugh also touches on the leadership qualities Yelena has inherited from her sister, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), her instinct to protect and uplift others, and her hopes for continuing to explore those traits in future Marvel projects.
Florence Pugh Explores a New Side of Yelena in ‘Thunderbolts*’

“I didn’t want her to be a silhouette.”

PERRI NEMIROFF: You’re three projects in with the MCU. Not only does this movie solidify your character as a leader going forward, but you are kind of an actor-leader of one of the biggest film franchises of all time. How does that make you feel, and how do you hope to use that kind of influence in terms of shaping the MCU going forward?
FLORENCE PUGH: It’s mental. I still think about my involvement in Black Widow and the way that Scarlett [Johansson] brought me into this world. Even that was wild. My introduction to the MCU was so solid with how they set up my storyline in Black Widow, and that felt bonkers that I was even involved in that. You always hope that there’s going to be another one. I did not think that my second movie in the MCU was going to lead this bunch of misfits, like, at all. I did not. I wouldn’t have put money on that. So, I’m still processing that, and I’m hugely grateful.
One of my biggest things with Yelena is I wanted to create a woman that maybe we weren’t expecting. I didn’t want her to be a silhouette. I wanted her to be unique and bizarre and excited for life, and have strange timing and be strangely comic. I think all of the charms that I loved about her in Black Widow and Hawkeye, we don’t really see that in her in Thunderbolts*. She’s still funny in her own way, but she’s lost that excitement, and I loved that I was allowed to do that. I loved that I was allowed to play someone who was struggling and was suffering. That, to me, is what I’m grateful that I get to put my mark on on where we’re going with the MCU. We got to make a movie that feels texturally different. It feels strange because it is. It’s a movie that isn’t about the usual baddies versus goodies. It’s actually about something very common, and it hopefully has many different parts of it that we can all see ourselves in, and that’s a very cool honor to have to be a part of a movie like this.

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Yelena Learned This Leadership Quality from Natasha Romanoff

“Even though she was suffering, she still has that.”

Image via Marvel Studios

You play those qualities so beautifully, and it does make me want to look to the future a little, because the character can keep growing in new ways. What is a new quality or a skill as a leader or a person that she gains in Thunderbolts* that you would be most eager to play with in a future Marvel movie?
PUGH: One of the things that I love about her is she always does try to take people in. She loves finding people who maybe are a bit weaker or a bit more vulnerable, and she looks after them. I always likened it, probably, to the nature of which her sister gave her, just looking after her and loving her. She does it with Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, she does it with Bob in Thunderbolts*. She’s got a big heart, and she does want to look after animals and look after people that need help, and that’s one of the qualities that I love. Even though she was suffering, she still has that. So, going forward, I hope it’s something that we get to see again, because it’s certainly a piece of her that I think is a wonderful thing to watch on a big screen.
Truly a very powerful beating heart to this movie. I was surprised by how emotionally rocked I was. Congratulations!
Thunderbolts* opens in theaters on May 2.

Thunderbolts*

Release Date

May 2, 2025

Runtime

126 Minutes

Director

Jake Schreier

Writers

Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo

Franchise(s)

Marvel Cinematic Universe

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