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Black Widow Star Loves It When Fans Don’t Recognize Her

Florence Pugh is currently one of the fastest-rising stars in Hollywood, with the 24 year-old riding high off the back of a breakout 2019 that saw her star in wrestling biopic Fighting with My Family, critically-acclaimed horror Midsommar and current awards circuit favorite Little Women. Next year will see the English actress make her first foray into blockbuster territory, with Pugh not only joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but taking second billing behind Scarlett Johansson's title character in the hugely-anticipated Black Widow.

Black Widow

Florence Pugh is currently one of the fastest-rising stars in Hollywood, with the 24 year-old riding high off the back of a breakout 2019 that saw her star in wrestling biopic Fighting with My Family, critically-acclaimed horror Midsommar and current awards circuit favorite Little Women. Next year will see the English actress make her first foray into blockbuster territory, with Pugh not only joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but taking second billing behind Scarlett Johansson’s title character in the hugely-anticipated Black Widow.

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The first trailer for the movie made it clear that Pugh’s Yelena Belova will play a key role in the story, with speculation suggesting that she might even stick around and assume the mantle of Black Widow for future adventures in the MCU, in keeping with the character’s comic book history. With Johansson’s Black Widow now definitively out of the picture in the franchise’s main timeline, it seems increasingly likely that Yelena could become a featured part of the post-Endgame MCU, popping up in various movies, much like her predecessor.

Joining the biggest and most successful series in the history of cinema provides a huge boost to the career of any up-and-coming star, as Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Pratt and many others will attest, so Pugh should enjoy her relative anonymity while it lasts. In fact, in a recent interview, the actress admitted that she still often goes unrecognized, even when talking about her own movies.

“I’ve had conversations about films with people who had no idea that I was in them. I love that. To me, that’s acting. It’s like, okay, it worked.”

Playing a major role in a Marvel Studios summer blockbuster will certainly increase her visibility, although Pugh likely won’t be too upset by that, having previously spoken of her excitement in having young women around the world identify with her character. She’s also promised that director Cate Shortland has created a movie that’s epic on all levels, so hopefully Black Widow lives up to the hype when it hits theaters in May.