Scarlett Johansson Unloads With Complaints About MCU Work: “You’re a Device”

Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow will always be tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a big way, as she was an instrumental character in some of Marvel’s biggest hits over the past decade. Johansson’s run ended with 2021’s Black Widow solo film, though the character’s arc in the MCU’s timeline came to a close in Avengers: Endgame. Now Johansson is jumping into the Jurassic World franchise with Rebirth, and in a new interview with her MCU co-star David Harbour for Interview Magazine, she opened up about some of the challenges that came with her Marvel tenure and being a part of a big superhero movie machine.

Harbour hasn’t been part of the MCU as long as Johansson, but he’s familiar with being a part of a popular franchise and the demands that come with it, as Harbour has been a fixture of Netflix’s Stranger Things since it began.

“Yeah. That’s been my life for the past couple years. This thing I’m working on for HBO feels much more grounded. It’s just a middle-aged guy going through middle-aged problems, as opposed to a character that has to kill a monster or save the world. So I do go back and forth, but I’ve been on the superhero, big budget-y green screen stages a lot,” Harbour said.

That’s when Johansson asked if it is a relief that he’s now completed Stranger Things. “When I started I loved it so much. Buddies of mine who’d done TV shows for many years said, ‘By season three or four you’ll be running.’ And I was like, Never! I love all these guys so much,” Harbour said. “And then you get to a certain point where you’re like, ‘How much more story is there?’ You’re having to play a lot of the same beat, and there’s a feeling where you’re like, ‘I want to take a risk. I want to do something that people haven’t seen me do before.’ So yeah, after 10 years, it’s like, ‘Okay.’”

[RELATED: Chris Hemsworth Sparks Marvel Retirement Rumors With New Thor Comments]

Time For Something New

Johansson related, saying, “That’s a long time. For a period, you were doing Marvel also. When you have those big time commitments, sometimes it’s harder to find the special moments day to day.” When Harbour asked if she’s been doing this for 10 years, Johansson revealed some challenges of the journey, revealing that it can sometimes feel like you are more of a plot device that moves things along than a character.

“Yeah. Some of the films that I did for Marvel engaged my character more than others. Like in [Captain America: The] Winter Soldier with Chris [Evans], we were really dynamic. 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,” Johansson said. “And 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.” 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.”

The Drawbacks of Big Franchises

Harbour understood that quite a bit, especially in later seasons of the show. “It’s the same thing with this show. There’d be certain seasons where you feel like, ‘I’m going to go in this different direction.’ But as you say, a piece of your psyche is occupied with this group of people and this storyline,” Harbour said. “I don’t paint my nails, but I get that idea of ‘I can’t get a haircut’ or ‘I can’t shave this freaking mustache.’”

Johansson said, “You’re in it, and you’re committed to returning to this character whenever they need you. When you’re working, what do you do on your off days?”

Harbour said he was lucky since he ended up shooting both Thunderbolts and season 5 of Stranger Things sort of back to back. “It depends on the project. I was lucky last year because I shot Stranger Things and Thunderbolts* in tandem, and that busyness allowed me a certain—I go a little stir-crazy when I’m on my own. I have a little place down here in Atlanta with a garden and I started growing tomatoes and strawberries and shit. I’m like a grandpa out there picking blueberries,” Harbour said.

What do you think of Johansson’s comments, and what would you like to see change regarding how Marvel films and produces these big projects? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things Marvel and movies with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!