Florence Pugh says Tom Holland deserves the credit for bringing Yelena Belova into Spider-Man: Brand-New Day.
During a Monday appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Oscar nominee explained that Holland publicly named her as the Marvel Cinematic Universe actor he wanted to work with in another Spider-Man movie. His comments, followed by an enthusiastic fan response, helped set the crossover in motion.
“This all happened because of Tom,” Pugh told host Jimmy Fallon.
Holland’s 2021 wish gained fan support
Pugh traced the story back to the period after Black Widow arrived, when her character was still relatively new compared with some of Marvel’s more prominent heroes.
“Years ago, when I just kind of started my relationship with Marvel and Black Widow had come out, my Yelena wasn’t as obviously big as all of the other big superheroes,” she said.
According to Pugh, Holland was asked on a red carpet which major Marvel character he wanted to share a future film with. Rather than choosing one of the suggested superheroes, he picked Pugh and Yelena.
“He, on the red carpet of his previous movie, when someone said, ‘Who do you want to be in the next movie with? Do you want to be with Thor?’ I don’t remember the superheroes, but they were all massive superheroes, and he said, ‘No, actually, I want to do it with Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena,’” she recalled.
At the 2021 premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Holland made his interest clear, praising Pugh’s work and proposing a pairing between their characters.
“I want to work with Florence Pugh. She’s amazing, she’s so good in [Black Widow], all the movies that she’s done,” Holland said at the time. “I think she’s fantastic, so I think a really cool Spider-Man, Black Widow movie would be a fun little twist.”
Pugh said the audience response gave the idea additional momentum. After Holland’s remarks, she said, “fans were then so excited about the idea of it, and that started the ball rolling.”
Sadie Sink also saw online chatter become reality
Pugh was not the only Brand-New Day cast member whose involvement was linked to advance fan discussion. Sadie Sink, who is also an upcoming X-Men actress, told Fallon that she encountered online theories about her joining the Spider-Man film before she was formally asked to take part.
“I found out through online theories,” Sink said. “Like, before I got cast in Spider-Man, like, there was speculation online that said, ‘Sadie Sink is going to be in the new Spider-Man.’”
Sink initially questioned the claim, but the speculation was followed quickly by an offer.
“I was like, ‘Hmm? I am?’ And sure enough, two days later, they asked me to do it,” she continued. “So yeah, those theories, there’s sometimes some truth to it.”
A record-setting run and more footage ahead
Starring Holland, Zendaya, Sink and Jon Bernthal, Spider-Man: Brand-New Day has earned more than $950 million at the domestic box office, making it the highest-grossing movie ever domestically. Its worldwide total stands at $2.49 billion, placing it at No. 3 on the all-time global chart.
Sony Pictures is also developing a theatrical rerelease featuring new footage, extending the film’s run following its box-office success.
For Pugh, Brand-New Day continues a run of appearances as Yelena Belova. She starred in Marvel’s Thunderbolts last year, further expanding the character’s presence, and is set to continue in the MCU with Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for release on Dec. 18.
Her Spider-Man appearance, however, can be traced to Holland putting her name forward — and to fans embracing the prospective team-up long before it reached the screen.