Florence Pugh Had Notes on Yelena’s ‘Hawkeye’ Wardrobe: ‘I Want to Look Like an F—ing Pirate’
Florence Pugh is just a fun and hilarious personality in every role she plays, making her endearing to fans. Her portrayal of Yelena Belova in the Marvel Disney+ series, Hawkeye, is especially entertaining. She reprises her role as Black Widow’s sister for this latest chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series. And Yelena’s Hawkeye wardrobe garnered some conversation.
Pugh may be a jokester in real life, but she took her role seriously. Reports suggest she routinely offered dialogue suggestions and wardrobe ideas to enhance her character. In fact, in one iconic scene, Pugh truly took control of her look. Learn how she shaped it here.
Florence Pugh defines Yelena Belova’s look
In Hawkeye, fans see Pugh’s Yelena in either her Black Widow wardrobe or donning a brown fur coat over an “I Love New York” tee. The producers felt the tourist look was a good way for Yelena to blend in since most of her early scenes depend on her remaining incognito. You can see her wearing this ensemble, for example, when she’s tailing Eleanor to her meeting with Kingpin.
Yelena also wears the iconic Black Widow suit throughout several episodes, especially during those legendary fight scenes. This suit makes it easy for anyone who didn’t see Black Widow to connect the character, even if you weren’t sure about who Yelena was initially.
Yelena’s wardrobe in the mac and cheese scene
Fans are still talking about the epic mac and cheese scene where Yelena and Kate sit down for a chat. Some behind-the-scenes details say much of this dialogue was entirely improvised between Pugh and Hailee Steinfeld, making it fun and authentic. However, anyone already familiar with the Black Widow movie might remember Yelena asking her mom for mac and cheese then, too, as Insider reported.
Reports say the dialogue regarding the lone fork in the drawer, when Yelena says, “This is not cutlery,” was improvisation. And it was Pugh who suggested adding the hot sauce element. Staff was worried, after a few takes and bites of hot sauce, if Pugh would need a break. But in true Pugh fashion, she remained a hilarious trooper throughout filming.
Pugh played a significant role in choosing Yelena’s wardrobe, too.
“Originally, we wanted the fur coat outfit for the mac and cheese scene,” episode director Bert told BuzzFeed. “She was like, ‘No, I want to look like an f-ing pirate when I walk into that apartment.’ So she had that long coat on instead.”
What’s next for Florence Pugh and ‘Hawkeye’?
So will Pugh return to the MCU with more exciting wardrobe choices? Rhys Thomas, who executive produced and directed Hawkeye episodes, didn’t confirm anything. But when Collider asked him about a Pugh and Steinfeld-focused spinoff or second season, he loved the idea. “It’s great,” he said. “It writes itself.” After all, fans are chomping at the bit for more witty banter between Kate and Yelena.
Hawkeye fans will have to wait to see more of Pugh as Yelena. But no matter her next MCU adventure, she’ll bring personality, charm, and wardrobe suggestions to the role.
