Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh in Black Widow, in cinemas tomorrow and streaming on Disney+Premier from Friday.
Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh in Black Widow, in cinemas tomorrow and streaming on Disney+Premier from Friday.
Before I ruined Scarlett Johansson's day she had been musing on what makes a good fruit salad.
"You really can't have fruit salad without banana," she clarifies, plunging her fork into a little bowl of chopped fruit and taking a bite. "I've tried making it before..."
She suddenly cuts herselfoff because, I assume, she's just been told the Zoom camera's switched on and she's now live with a dozen or so journalists from around the world and not just freely chatting with her Black Widow co-star Florence Pugh.
"I was just introducing my fruit salad," she laughs, putting the bowl aside and straightening up in her chair. Then, looking directly down the camera she flashes her best movie star smile and grins; "How ya goin?"
It's 8.30am in Los Angeles and both Johansson and Pugh are geared up to spend the day answering questions about their new Marvel blockbuster, Black Widow. This action-packed spy thriller is a passing of the torch from Johansson's Avengers character Natasha Romanoff, the titular Black Widow, to Pugh's character, Yelena Belova, who is Romanoff's younger sister.
She's one of the world's biggest stars but Johannson quickly has everyone at ease. She's relaxed, friendly and smiley, obviously "on" but having fun with it. Pugh, equally as charismatic, tends to let Johansson take the lead - echoing the sisterly relationship of the film - only occasionally interjecting.
The first question they're asked is, "What happened in Budapest?" A very fan-specific question that's been a source of debate ever since it was fleetingly mentioned in the first film, 2012's The Avengers.
"Well, the answer is initially nothing happened in Budapest," Johansson smiles. "Not to burst the whole bubble but Joss [Whedon, The Avengers writer/director] threw in this great line and it became this fun thing for fans to speculate on."
The next question is so roundabout and hard to follow that I have no idea what's being asked. Fortunately, Johansson's a pro.
"Ummm ..." she replies, searching for a question to answer. "It's, uh, it's ... you know. Um ..."
She settles on answering the previous question again and then, suddenly, my name is called and I realise I have the full attention of two of the world's most glamorous movie stars.
Being called was by no means guaranteed and I'd spent a good portion of the day thinking about the one question I'd ask if I got lucky.
Florence Pugh in Marvel's explosive new film Black Widow.
Johansson has long given smart answers to hard questions and often expressed open dismay and an admirable sarcastic streak when asked dumb ones. I needed a question both would want to answer and wasn't something they'd be asked hundreds of times.
It needed to be smart, inclusive, insightful, original and - critically - not dumb.
I gulp down my coffee, unmute my mic and start talking.
"One of the heavier themes in Black Widow is what happens when a person loses their free will and is unable to make their own decisions, so has there been a time in your life when you've felt a lack of agency to act how you wanted to act, and how did you deal with that?"
"School," Pugh states without hesitation. "The whole of school for me was absolutely horrid. I hated it for that exact reason; I didn't get to have my own choice and I had to be there. The school system really bothered me. But I've been allowed to grow in a very supportive family and been able to be loud and opinionated and all the horrid things for a young girl to be."
Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh in a scene from Black Widow.
Then she says, "What about you Scarlett?"
"That's such a loaded question," Johansson says, before building to an exaggeratedly flabbergasted crescendo with, "I feel like every woman on this Zoom is like, 'Are you kidding? We're women'!"
Settling back into her normal tone she continues, "We face that in so many ways. It's a systemic problem."
"Choose a simple one though," Pugh says.
"A simple one?" Johansson laughs, before saying, "Oh yeah ... okay. A simple one ..." the sarcasm dripping off her words.
Pugh starts to say something but starts laughing instead so Johansson continues.
"That's a very deep and heavy question. It's hard for me to think about a simple thing ..."
Scarlett Johansson in an action scene from Black Widow.
"What about ... when you've gone to a coffee shop ... and you can't get the coffee that you want," Pugh says, stifling her laughs, "so you have to get the other coffee!"
"They feel too small for such a big question," Johansson says, ignoring Pugh's jests.
"For a long time I didn't realise that I had choices. I think that's part of your journey as a person. Part of our journey from childhood into adulthood is realising there's always another handle to grab. It doesn't always feel like that. Most of the time it doesn't feel like that. Or you forget that you can always grab another handle."
"Especially in this industry," Pugh adds.
"And also day-to-day," Johansson continues. "Every day you make small choices, 'This is how I'm going to react to this but I don't have to, I can also react this way'. I am constantly reminding myself that I have other choices to how I react to things."
She sighs and says, "But I don't have a simple answer for you. I wish I did."
Scarlett Johansson in Marvel's action-thriller Black Widow.
"The coffee one was good," Pugh grins.
"The coffee one worked," Johansson says, rolling her eyes. "I'll take that one."
The whole exchange has been smart, funny, revealing and a fantastic showcase of the pair's off-camera relationship, which has the exact same sisterly dynamic as in the film. I thank them both and the PR guy starts to call the next name when Johansson cuts him off.
"Now I'm gonna be in existential crisis for the rest of the day!" she exclaims in a mock frenzy before sarcastically adding, "Thanks, Karl."
Then her and Pugh both crack up laughing as the next journalist asks why they wanted to work with Black Widow's award-winning director.
LOWDOWN
Who: Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh
What: Marvel's new blockbuster Black Widow
When: In cinemas tomorrow and streaming on Disney+ Premier Access from Friday.
