Saoirse Ronan, known for her roles in Lady Bird and Atonement, recently revealed that she passed on the chance to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The actress addressed rumors that she was offered the role of Yelena Belova, a character that eventually went to her Little Women co-star Florence Pugh, in the 2021 film Black Widow.
During an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, host Josh Horowitz asked Ronan directly if she had been approached to play the part of Yelena.
“How did you hear about that?” Ronan questioned seemingly confirming the rumor.
When Horowitz pressed her further, Ronan admitted she didn’t see herself fit for Marvel roles. “I can’t see myself doing Marvel,” she said. “I don’t… No, I would prefer to do Bond.”
Despite not taking the Marvel role, Ronan expressed admiration for the franchise and hinted at wanting to work on larger-scale projects.
“There’s nothing wrong with [Marvel] and I think they’re brilliant films. I want to do more big movies,” she explained. “I love making independent film, I really do, but to know — especially in this landscape that we’re in, in film right now — to know that a film is going to be seen is such a luxury.”
Ronan also mentioned that while Marvel might not be in her future, other blockbuster opportunities certainly are. When talking about the recent success of Barbie, she enthusiastically added, “I wanna do that! Of course I want to do that stuff. I like big shows and I want to be in a musical and I want to do all that.”
Florence Pugh ultimately played Yelena Belova in Black Widow, which was released in 2021. The character, a highly trained spy and assassin, also appears in the Hawkeye series on Disney+ and is set to return in the upcoming Marvel film Thunderbolts, scheduled for release on May 2, 2025.
Look for Saoirse Ronan in The Outrun which is now in theaters described as: “After living life on the edge in London, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. Hoping to heal, she returns to the wild beauty of Scotland’s Orkney Islands where she grew up.”
