Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Black Widow!
Although supporting players like Florence Pugh and David Harbour stole their fair share of scenes in Black Widow, a case can be made that the film’s true unsung hero was Rick Mason, one of Natasha Romanoff’s old S.H.I.E.L.D. allies played by O-T Fagbenle. Mason had fairly limited screen time, but he was always there to give Natasha an assist when she needed equipment and support. However, it could have been someone else doing her these favors. According to Fagbenle, when he initially pursued a role in the movie, it was for a completely different character.
Fagbenle shared this bit of trivia in a new interview with BuzzFeed. At some point during the early stages of production, he was forced to re-tool several key aspects of the character he thought he was playing. But luckily, Fagbenle didn’t have to try out for the part all over again.
“You know what? The audition process was funny because my character was very different,” said Fagbenle. “The character I auditioned for was very, very different. I had a different accent and everything. Then the character changed and [director] Cate [Shortland] liked me, so I thought I’d have to audition again. But she was like, ‘Nah, just come’ and I was like, ‘Alright, sure, okay.’ […] I don’t know how much detail I can get into, but I’ll just say the role was very, very, very different.”
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Fagbenle couldn’t go into much more detail than this. But when asked about which of the film’s scenes he’s most proud of, he immediately references a clip from one of Black Widow’s trailers that didn’t make the final cut.
“I love all the scenes, but there was a scene right at the beginning of the trailer, where Scarlett and I lay down in bed together,” added Fagbenle. “We had quite an intimate conversation, but they cut it from the movie. The scene is out there somewhere, but yeah, that was one of my parts of the movie to shoot.
Black Widow is now playing in theaters and available to stream on Disney+ Premier Access.
Who else do you think Fagbenle could have played in the film? Share your theories in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Black Widow Vol. 1: S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Most Wanted
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