I recently attended the press conference for Marvel Studios’ Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It’s a wonderful movie — I’d go so far as to say it’s my favorite Marvel film to date. The new installment picks up after The Avengers’ cataclysmic events in New York and finds Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) still adjusting to life in the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue and mystery that threatens to put the entire world at risk. Joining forces with Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off assailants sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the plot is revealed, Captain America and Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, Sam Wilson aka the Falcon (Anthony Mackie). But they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable new enemy — the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). The press conference included Evans, Johansson and Mackie along with Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), producer Kevin Feige and directors Anthony and Joe Russo.
It’s always a little odd when there’s a large panel of talented people at a press conference but the majority of questions are directed toward one person. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you who that person was for this film. Scarlett Johansson’s presence in Captain America: The Winter Soldier IS one of the reasons the film works so well, in my opinion, and she is a huge international star, but it got to the point where the Disney folks were begging participants to ask some of the other people on the panel some questions. There was also a group of journalists present who seemed to be more interested in Scarlett Johansson’s personal life than they were her performance in the film. I don’t want to besmirch any particular group of reporters (cough-EUROPEAN-cough) but I have to say I was extremely impressed with Johansson’s skill at responding to their queries. Natasha Romanoff has nothing on Scarlett Johansson — that woman knows how to handle herself in awkward situations without being snippy or rude.
When one such reporter blatantly asked Johansson about her pregnancy and was given a withering look by every publicist at the event, he tried to cover, attempting to draw a connection to the actress’s impending motherhood and the movie. “I mean,” he said, addressing Johansson and Evans, “Do you picture both of you guys as a family, raising a little Captain America?”
Scarlett Johansson: What a strange question! But I admire your ability to think on your feet.
Scarlett and Chris (in unison): NO!
Chris Evans: That was a contingency question! No, I don’t think that’s the dynamic of Cap and Black Widow!
Another reporter from overseas still wouldn’t let it go. “Hi, Scarlett,” she said. “Many actresses say that producers changed their view of them when they became moms. Have you thought about that? Do you think it’s something that may happen with you?”
Scarlett: Johansson: I don’t know. I’ve been in the industry for 20 years and so the roles that have become available to me change as I grow older. I’m sure that will continue as I transition through life. You hope to have a career that has longevity and reflects the experiences that you’ve had. That’s what we all hope for — men and women alike.
Perfect answer — and brilliant sidestep. Someone else mentioned how the characters in this film have to really think about who they can trust. The reporter asked Scarlett and Chris what the people in their lives have to do in order to be trusted by then. “Oh, man,” Chris Evans, replied, scratching his head. How do you answer a question like that?
Chris Evans: It takes time and experience. You need to earn trust and that’s not something that happens overnight.
Scarlett Johansson: I only trust whomever Sam Jackson trusts. That’s my barometer right there! I don’t know. I don’t think people have to prove themselves in order for me to trust them. I think I’m mostly trusting by nature and I guess I wait for people to prove me wrong and then I don’t trust them after that!
The next reporter talked about Natasha’s evolution as Black Widow and asked the actress if she thought she had changed and grown through playing this role.
Scarlett Johansson: Other than having to be in physical therapy for the rest of my life? I think this is the first time that we’ve really gotten to see this side of Natasha. We saw a little bit of her back story in Avengers and we’ll see more of that in Avengers II, but in this film, we really get to see Natasha as a person who gets up, gets ready for work in the morning, and has a life once she’s out of the suit. She’s a woman and she has her own kind of reality outside of her job. I think Steve and Natasha are both kind of questioning their identity. In some ways there’s a kind of cliffhanger at the end because you really see that they’re just kind of cresting the wave of this huge moment of self-discovery and I think we’ll be able to track where that goes in the next installments.
When producer Kevin Feige was finally asked a question, even that was about Johansson. “I loved how you treat your female characters with respect and admiration,” the reporter said, “and the film is almost as much about Natasha’s journey as it is Steve’s. Will we be seeing a Black Widow film some time in the future?”
Kevin Feige: I think it could be great. We’ve got various ideas about where to take that. As Scarlett has already said, there’s a big element that explores her back story in an upcoming Marvel feature, so the question really is when would we want to take her out of that ensemble to go and do her own thing. In fact, as you saw in this movie, and as you’ll see in Avengers: Age of Ultron, she is key to so much of the broader world.
Yet another question for Johansson. The reporter brought up the recent campaign to stop calling girls “bossy” and asked Johansson if she thought Natasha was a good role model for girls in terms of how she’s helping out her male co-star.
Scarlett Johansson: I think Natasha is a bit of a reluctant superhero. She doesn’t necessarily have this strong golden moral compass. Let’s not forget she started out her career essentially as a mercenary so I don’t know if that makes role model material, but I will say that one of the things that’s very attractive to me about the character is that while she uses her feminine wiles as a part of her job, she doesn’t rely on her sexuality or her physical appeal to get the job done. She’s extremely smart. She thinks on her feet. She’s a leader and I think has a lot of foresight. Those are all qualities that I think are wonderful to celebrate for young women. And, of course, it’s really rad for me to have my friends’ kids kind of look up to that character and dress up like her at Halloween and play with the boys and be rough! I always say, “The widow always wins!”
A reporter reminded Chris Evans that he had initially expressed concerns about taking on this character and asked what he thought about that now.
Chris Evans: Had I not done the movies, it would’ve been the biggest mistake of my life. It really would’ve been the biggest regret to date — and there are plenty! It’s changed everything for me — not just what it’s enabled me to do outside of these movies, but it’s so comforting knowing that you’re making good movies. It would be a nightmare to be trapped in this contract and be making films that you’re not proud of, but Marvel has the Midas touch, so every time you suit up, you know that you’re making something of quality. It’s rewarding on every level, so thank God I had the right people in my life pushing me to make the right decision!
One of the surprises for me in the film was the presence of Oscar winner Robert Redford as S.H.I.E.L.D. senior leader Alexander Pierce. He gives a great performance. The panel was asked what it was like working with him.
Chris Evans: He’s amazing. It was pretty intimidating because he is a living legend, but it’s always such a treat when someone you look up to that much lives up to the expectation. I mean he very easily could’ve come on set and hijacked the film, not just as an actor, but given his past as a director and his experience. He very easily could’ve taken over but he showed up with the utmost professionalism. I think the first day we filmed, we shot until 1:00 in the morning and he stuck around for my off-camera stuff. He really is such an example of what it is to be great.
Samuel L. Jackson: I met Robert in a lot of different situations — and I missed the opportunity to do several films with him over the years. And that morning, when I got there to work with him for the first time, we sat down and we talked about a lot of different things. We talked about golf, we talked about life, we talked about movies. So by the time we got on set, it did look like we spent time together and had some past! It was a great experience. He is everything Chris said. — he’s professional, he knew his lines, and he wanted to do it. He wanted to make things better and that’s part of coming into the Marvel universe. People come in and they see what we do and they want to blend into it and make things better.
A reporter asked Jackson about his character’s evolution in the films and what went through his mind when he first read the script to this one.
Samuel L. Jackson: I’m always excited to do more and Nick seems to grow with each film . I realized when I was reading the script that this was a bit more than just a comic book feature, that it had intrigue. It’s always a great, great joy to know that I’m going to be back in a space with all the people that I enjoy working with and that I’m going to be able to do things that I did on a very small scale when I was a kid. I mean this is a dream come true! You sit there and you read comic books when you’re a kid and you wonder if there’s a world like that. Then you grow up as an actor and they start making movies like that and you wonder, “How can I get in that movie?” And then next thing you know, you’re inside it and you’re kind of like, “Yeah!”
Someone asked Chris Evans what it’s like each time he gets to returns to the character and puts on that suit for the first time.
Chris Evans: It always feels like it gets tighter! I’m not joking, that really happens! Once you get a good sweat going, it loosens up quite a bit. It’s exciting. Again, a lot of it has to do with the fact that you know you’re making good movies. It’s exciting and it’s humbling and it’s an honor to jump back into it – no matter how uncomfortable it is!
And back to Scarlett. Another question about her experience returning to the same character in several different films.
Scarlett Johansson: It’s an interesting challenge to keep coming back to this character. I have the good fortune of playing a character that’s sort of evolving with each installment that you see her in. Of course, I have to understand who this character is and where she comes from and have this sort of rich back story and I think the exciting thing is just scraping away at a little part of that each time to reveal part of the bigger picture of her. It’s a very complex character, which is wonderful for me, because over the period of time that I’ve played her, I’ve also grown — it’s been about six years — as you do in your career, your work, and your life, so I feel that this character’s story is becoming more enriched as my own experiences are.
Hmm, as much as I seem to be judging other reporters for their special interest in Scarlett Johansson at the expense of the other people at the press conference, that’s clearly what I’m doing as well (although I’m very happy to let her enjoy her personal life in peace!). I thought Johansson, Chris Evans and Samuel L. Jackson had great chemistry in this movie and I could not recommend Captain America: The Winter Soldier more enthusiastically — it is great fun — but I’m really ready for that Black Widow film!