Black Widow Star Wanted To Quit Marvel
Just as Marvel was regaining its footing after receiving the ultimate diss from its one-time golden boy, Robert Downey Jr., another of the studio’s stars has stepped forward with an overwhelmingly negative review of his time on the set of Black Widow. Ray Winstone, who appeared in the 2021 film as its primary antagonist, Dreykov, said that while the initial filming was “fine,” the reshoots were pure hell.
Referring to the entire process as “soul-destroying,” Winstone opened up about the unpleasant working conditions that faced him and the other stars.
Ray Winstone Didn’t Appreciate The Criticism From Marvel Execs
Ray Winstone revealed that his biggest problem with Marvel was with the chain of command, specifically the producers at the top who had major complaints about his performance. He said that while he felt that he was “doing great work,” he later received notes telling him that he was doing “too much” and that his portrayal of the villain was “too strong.” He went on to say that things got so bad that he wanted to step down from his role but wasn’t able to due to a tight contract.
Winstone Had No Way Out
Locked into his signed agreement with the studio, Ray Winstone realized that there was no way out and that he had to bend to the will of Marvel’s producers. His only other option was to face off with them in court, an experience that he said was akin to “being kicked in the balls.” With only one way through and a hefty paycheck dangling in front of him, Winstone stuffed down his unenthusiastic feelings and bit the bullet, seeing the reshoots through until the creative team and their bosses were happy.
Ray Winstone Wasn’t The Only One Upset With Marvel
Aside from Ray Winstone’s troubling memories on the set of Black Widow, the film made quite the buzz for all the wrong reasons after its leading star, Scarlett Johansson, sued Disney following the project’s arrival on Disney+.
Having expected the movie to rake in the big bucks at the box office, Johansson was rightly peeved that the studio instead chose to drop it on its streaming service. For the company, it was a decision made to draw in more subscribers to keep their numbers out of the red, a choice that would ultimately have its day in court, where Johansson won an undisclosed amount of cash from the House of Mouse.
Winstone And Johannson Aren’t Likely To Come Back
Black Widow would mark the first time that Scarlett Johansson’s titular hero received a standalone film and her presumed final appearance in the MCU after she was killed off in Avengers: Endgame. Although it launched the storyline for others like Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova and David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov, it seems like it was a one-and-done situation for Ray Winstone’s run with Marvel.
Where You’ve Seen Ray Winstone
Known for his work in drama-heavy action and gangster flicks like Cold Mountain, The Departed, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and more, nabbing Ray Winstone for a villainous role in Black Widow was a big win on the side of Marvel. Though he may never work with Kevin Feige’s company again, perhaps now is the time for James Gunn and Peter Safran to swoop in and collect Winstone’s talents for their new wave of DC projects.
Ray Winstone can next be seen in Netflix’s Millie Bobby Brown-led fantasy action flick, Damsel. Black Widow is now streaming on Disney+.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
