Scarlett Johansson Talks About the Demands of Being a Marvel Actor - "You Start to Feel Like You're a Device to Move it Along"

Two-time Academy Award nominated actress Scarlett Johansson has made a name for herself in many different genres of films, but it was her time at Marvel that made her most well-known.

Johansson is gearing up to make her debut in the Jurassic franchise, and in a conversation with her Black Widow co-star David Harbour published in Interview Magazine, the actress talked about the highs and lows of the high-commitment job that is Marvel, and the drawbacks of not doing "engaging work."

Johansson explained, "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."

A major role in a superhero franchise also comes with some commitments, and, according to Johansson, they weren't always rewarding. "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," she explained.

Harbour will be reprising his role as the Red Guardian for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, and he joked in the interview about the possibility of a Black Widow return, saying, "We all know you're the secret character. We all know the Black Widow comes back from the dead."

But Johansson was not having any of it. She responded, "If I come back from the dead, then half the world’s population dies. Didn’t you see Endgame for Christ’s sake?" The actress has been very clear in recent months that she is not planning to return to the MCU any time soon.

Johansson has kept busy since her Marvel departure. This year alone, she has hosted SNL, co-starred in Wes Anderson’s ensemble The Phoenician Scheme, and will headline Jurassic World: Rebirth, in theatres on July 2nd. I think her time as Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow has come to an end, but it was an epic run.