The Marvel Cinematic Universe can be a different experience for many. Though there are numerous stars that are grateful for the experience, others have had varying results, just like the reception for projects can range from positive to negative. Now one Marvel actor has referenced their MCU experience which they describe as “soul-destroying.”
Obviously no one wants to describe their time on a movie set as “soul-destroying.” For this particular actor, however, that appears to be the case regarding their work on the 2021 superhero film starred Scarlett Johansson as the titular character.
Interestingly, the Marvel actor who suffered the negative experience didn’t have a problem with the initial production. It appears that his issues instead began when they had to film reshoots for the project. This was revealed in an interview with Radio Times.
Ray Winstone, who plays the villain in Black Widow, General Dreykov, had this to say:
“It was fine until you have to do the reshoots,” he said. “Then you find out that a few producers have come down, and your performance is too much, it’s too strong… That’s the way Marvel works. It can be soul-destroying because you feel like you’re doing great work.”
In fact, it was enough that he wanted to quit the film but couldn’t:
“I actually said, ‘You ought to recast it because that was it for me.’ And you end up doing it again because you’re contracted to do it. Otherwise you end up in court. It’s like being kicked in the balls.”
It’s certainly disappointing to know that not only did he have such a difficult time during the film’s production, but that it’s because he was unable to act out the role the way he felt was best. Of course, the MCU is a closely mandated franchise, so it’s not surprising.
Since then, Ray Winstone has been actively working on other projects, including two new titles being produced for Netflix. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them.