The Black Widow movie that audiences got was apparently a much different story than the one originally conceived.
“The Message” – a phrase coined by YouTube star the Critical Drinker, is a phrase his audience has come to know well. It exemplifies the “woke” era of movies that all seem to convey that you, the audience, have been brought up wrong and we’re using our platform to scold you and put you on the right path!
Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) in Marvel Studios’ BLACK WIDOW, in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access. Photo by Jay Maidment. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
It was during this period that the #MeToo movement took hold, drawing significant attention to alleged abuses of power in Hollywood. Some critics have argued that the conversation often painted men broadly in a negative light, and that cultural atmosphere shaped much of what came next on screen. Marvel’s Black Widow reflected those influences, with clear parallels to the Harvey Weinstein scandal dominating headlines at the time of the film’s production. While audiences certainly picked up on those undertones, new reports suggest the movie was originally conceived to be even darker and more overt in its messaging.
The Winstone Interview Revelations
Ray Winstone, the actor who portrayed General Drekov in Black Widow (an obvious nod in both actions and physical appearance to Harvey Weinstein) was recently honored at the Sarajevo Film Festival with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award, an accolade he received for his career contributions to the film industry.
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Ray Winstone as Dreykov in Black Widow (2022), Marvel Studios
While being interviewed at the festival, he gave a few striking comments about his time as Dreykov, which shed new light on just how dark the film was originally intended to be.
He explained that Cate Shortland, director of Black Widow, pressed for a completely monstrous take on the character.
“He was like a pe******e running around all these girls, and they’d become Black Widows,” Winstone stated. “We used to get applauded on set. It was probably the best thing I’ve done for a really long time.”
(L-R): Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Yelena (Florence Pugh) in Marvel Studios’ BLACK WIDOW, in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
But after initial filming wrapped and hit the editing room, Marvel execs weren’t pleased with what they were seeing, and called for reshoots.
“I get a call saying we need to do some reshoots. I say: how many scenes? [Cate] says ‘all of them.’ So I said she should recast [the role], but I was contracted, so I had to do it. I go back, they do my hair all nice, put me in the suit, and I couldn’t do it. I’d already done it,” he stated. Winstone was apparently heart broken that his original performance hit the cutting room floor. “There’s nothing worse than doing something, leaving it on the floor, and then being told it’s not right,” he said.
Cate Shortland, Scarlett Johansson, and #MeToo
Produced by Scarlett Johansson and directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow was initially set to debut on May 1st, 2020, but was pushed back several times due to the lockdowns and closures. Meaning: it was shot and produced at the height of the #MeToo era (a movement that sprang from the outing of Hollywood Mogul Harvey Weinstein as a real life villain, especially to women) and both Cate and Scarlett leaned heavily into this in their initial treatment of the Black Widow narrative.
Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) in Marvel Studios’ BLACK WIDOW, in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access. Photo by Jay Maidment. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
In an interview with Empire Magazine in August of 2020, Johansson stated, “I think this film in particular is very much reflective of what’s going on in regards to the Time’s Up movement and the #MeToo movement. It would be such a miss if we didn’t address that stuff, if this film didn’t take that head-on. I think, particularly for Cate, it was so important for her to make a movie about women who are helping other women, who lift other women up out of a very difficult situation. Someone asked me if Natasha was a feminist. Of course she is, it’s obvious. It’s kinda an asinine question.”
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Ray Winstone as Dreykov in Black Widow (2022), Marvel Studios
Winstone’s recent interview is confirmation of just how heavy this messaging was intended to be.
Were you excited for a Black Widow movie? Did you like what we got? Would you prefer to have seen this darker, even more feminist take? Let us know in the comments
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