Actress Rachel Weisz has had a constant onscreen presence since her breakout role in the 1996 action-drama Chain Reaction. Over the years, she has amassed a significant net worth after starring in films such as The Shape of Things, About a Boy, The Bourne movies, Oz the Great and Powerful, My Cousin Rachel, and The Constant Gardener, for which she won an Oscar.
In recent years, Weisz has also decided to take her talents to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) where she is set to debut in the highly anticipated film Black Widow. In the movie, Weisz plays Melina Vostokoff who also goes by the name Iron Maiden. At the moment, Weisz (and everyone else) has stayed mum about her character’s arc in the movie. However, she has revealed what drew her into the MCU in the first place.
Here’s Why She Said Yes To Marvel
Weisz signed on for the film just after earning critical praise for her Oscar-nominated performance in the 2018 history drama The Favorite. Back in 2019, Variety reported that Weisz was in talks to star in the upcoming Marvel movie and that there was “strong interest from both sides of negotiations.” At that time, Florence Pugh had already signed on. At the same time, Cate Shortland has already agreed to helm the movie. And as it turns out, this was the only thing that Weisz needed to hear to get onboard herself.
Weisz has always admired the 2004 film Somersault, a drama romance that was written and directed by Shortland herself. Of the film, Weisz noted that the film’s main star, Abie Cornish, “is a beautiful sexy girl” and that “a lot of it is about her sexuality.” However, Weisz also told the New York Times, “Cate didn’t shy away from that. But she wasn’t objectified.” For the actress, Shortland’s approach to the film had always left an impression. “Watching that, as a woman, you know immediately when a character is subject or object — she was always subject,” Weisz explained. “I had never seen anything like it. For that reason, I never forgot it.”
Over the years, Weisz had thought about the possibility of working with Shortland herself. “You’d be thinking about a project and often say, ‘If only we could get Cate Shortland to direct it,’” the Oscar winner explained. “She was always kind of totemic to me.” For that reason, Weisz agreed to take on the role of Melina.
Since working on the movie, Weisz has reveled in her experience in working with Shortland and her female Black Widow co-stars. “There is something that happens in a scene when a woman is across from another woman,” Weisz remarked. “It sounds really pompous, but you are free from the history of ownership — I really mean that. It’s liberating.”
What Rachel Weisz Has Said About Her Black Widow Character
By now, fans may be aware that Marvel tends to operate under a veil of secrecy. Nonetheless, that hasn’t stopped Weisz from offering some interesting tidbits about her role in Black Widow. For instance, she offered some insight into Melina’s background in an interview for Black Widow: The Official Movie Special Book.
“She was trained in the Red Room,” Weisz explained. “I'm a Widow. I was taken away from my parents when I was small and given over to Dreykov (Ray Winstone), who runs the Red Room. He is the mastermind behind the training that all the Widows go through. I think for some time he's been like a father figure. I'm definitely brainwashed by him.” The actress also hinted, “believe in his cause, and I believe that he means well and is doing good in the world.”
In addition, Weisz explained the connection between Natasha and Melina in the film. As it turns out, the two women were once brought together as part of a spy family sent to America back in the 90s. “At the start of the film I'm a Russian spy posing as an American mom,” the actress said. “I'm pretending that little Natasha and little Yelena are my children and that Alexei (David Harbour) is my husband.”
And when the movie moves to present day, Weisz explained revealed that her character has sort of adapted a more domestic life. “It's been wonderful to be Melina because I get Then you cut to twenty years later, and she's living out on her own, and she's a scientist,” the actress revealed. “She's living in quite a deserted place living with pigs, which is quite something. I've never acted with pigs before. They're absolutely adorable, big, furry pigs.” That said, Weisz may have also hinted that nothing is as it seems. “So my character does go through a lot of twists and turns. There's never been a dull moment.” During her appearance at Comic-Con, the actress also confirmed that the movie would feature several Black Widows.
Marvel Studios is set to release Black Widow on July 9. It will be showing in theaters and on Disney+ simultaneously.