Following Florence Pugh’s return as Yelena Belova in episode five ofHawkeye, star Hailee Steinfeld shared what it was like finally getting to work with the acclaimed actress, specifically in that hilarious dinner scene.
After meeting through a rooftop battle at the end of episode four, Pugh’s Yelena steals the show inHawkeyeepisode five, as the story is heavily focused on her mission to track down Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and kill him. But perhapsone of the most memorable scenes inHawkeyecomes when Yelena breaks into Kate’s apartment to warn her to not interfere with her goal of taking out Clint. But rather than another all out brawl, the two share in-depth conversation about what it means to be a hero, and more specifically, an Avenger.
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Speaking with Entertainment Tonight in a new phone interview, Steinfeld, who playsyoung archer Kate Bishopin the Marvel Studios show, said her first scene with Pugh was nothing but a thrill. “That was some of the most fun I’ve had working, and Florence is incredible in that scene," Steinfeld said. “It was really awesome to see her do her thing, and we had so much fun together.” Steinfeld added that she was both excited and impressed by Pugh’s ability to show up on set and create a space for them to “just sort of run.”
“We’re playing these two incredibly strong-willed young female characters who are capable of a lot, and it was just amazing to see us work through the writing and find the truth in all of it,” Steinfeld continued. Yelena’s pursuit of Clint began in aBlack Widowpost-credits scene, where Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) approaches Yelena at Natasha’s grave. There, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine instructs Yelena to hunt down Clint, who she thinks is to to blame for her sister’s death.
While the first scene that Kate and Yelena share begins light hearted, it soon becomes clear that both characters carry a lot of pain within that only raises the stakes moving forward. “There’s a lot of depth here, and the stakes are incredibly high,” Steinfeld shared. “These two characters are sort of at a loss. They’re both working tirelessly to protect those that they love, and in that, they sort of find this connection to each other. In the midst of all this chaos and craziness, I think they both crave that friendship and connection that they kind of get a hint of in this scene.”
With only one episode left, it’ll be interesting to see how many of these storylines wrap up and how they connect with other MCU films/series moving forward. On top of that, with big character introductions like Kingpin andCharlie Cox’s Daredevil joining the MCU, the ongoing cinematic universe only appears to be getting crazier and crazier.Hawkeyecurrently has a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been praised for its more grounded, street-level setting and the chemistry between Renner and Steinfeld.
Hawkeyeis available to stream on Disney Plus with new episodes airing every Wednesday.
