Interview by Carol Wright | Photographer: Katie McGehee
We got to chat with actress Violet McGraw who plays young Yelena Belova in the highly-anticipated film Black Widow about working on her character with Florence Pugh and her advice for aspiring actors.
Did a certain television show or movie inspire you to start acting?
Not really. But what did inspire me was visiting my sister Maddy on the set of her show Outcast in South Carolina. I saw how much fun she was having so I asked if I could start auditioning again.
You play Young Yelena Belova in Black Widow. Did you work with Florence Pugh on the character?
Yes. I did get to work with Florence on the character. We talked about Yelena and worked on some mannerisms together. It was really fun! Florence is such a special person. She was just as excited as I was to be working on a Marvel movie! She actually sent me a really nice message after she saw the movie recently. She was really proud of me. It made me so happy.
Do you have a favorite scene you filmed?
Yes. I actually haven’t seen the film yet, so I am not sure if this scene is in there, but I did a scene with Rachel (Weisz) where we sing “Eternal Flame” by The Bangles. I really loved doing that scene with her. It just felt really personal to the characters.
Marvel keeps each of their movies very underwraps. What was it like filming Black Widow but having to keep it all hush-hush?
It was really hard at times to keep my role in the film a secret. Especially when we would be around people who would talk about how excited they were to see Black Widow. I would want to say something so bad, but I was always way too nervous to say anything. I was definitely relieved when I could finally talk about it.
This year you were also in the film Our Friend. What did you learn from your co-stars during that project?
I learned so much from all of them. Jason was always so funny and very humble and amazing at improv. He taught me to trust my instincts. Casey was an amazing father figure on set and doing scenes with him reminded me to always be a good listener. Dakota was always so loving and kind and she reminded me to always have patience. Isabella was so professional and so sweet. She was so loving towards me and never made me feel like an annoying little kid. She treated me like family and always included me. She set an example for me and if I ever play a big sister, I will try to be as loving and kind as she was.
What advice do you have for young, aspiring actors?
I think the best advice I would give to a young, aspiring actor would be to find people who believe in you and support you. Work hard and know that you will get a ton of No’s, but do not take that personally. Have fun with your auditions and trust that when it’s your role to book, it will be your role.