Scarlett Johansson says four and a half seconds of Russian was harder than Black Widow’s stunt
Scarlett Johansson: I’m trying to remember what the rehearsal process was for this scene. A lot of this fight I couldn’t perform because I’m tied to a chair, and it’s actually really burdensome.
Heidi Moneymaker, who is my stunt double for all of the Avengers films, is an incredible athlete, amazing performer. We’ve worked together since Iron Man 2. For a decade, together, we created Black Widow, her style, her gait, and all of the flourishes that come with her fight style.
The stunt team would do this amazing previs, and then we’d work out what pieces I’d be capable of doing and what pieces the stunt performer would do. It kind of becomes like a marriage of those two things.
I do remember how challenging it was to learn the four and a half seconds of Russian. That, to me, was probably more difficult than the stunt, if that makes any sense. It was a mental stunt. I was way more stressed about the Russian than the chair.