Scarlett Johansson says she'd 'never stepped foot in a gym' before appearing in 'Iron Man 2'

• Scarlett Johansson spoke about being "intimidated" by the gym before being cast as Black Widow.
• "It was just a massive lifestyle change immediately upon getting cast," she said.

Scarlett Johansson revealed that she "had never stepped foot in a gym" before her rigorous training for "Iron Man 2."

Johansson made her debut as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in "Iron Man 2," which the actor described in a new interview with Vanity Fair as "a humongous moment."

"Because I was, I don't know, 23 or 24 when I was cast in 'Iron Man 2.' I had never stepped foot in a gym, and I had five weeks to prepare myself for these huge stunt sequences," she said.

"Back then when we were doing it, over a decade ago, it was before we kind of figured out how to be most efficient in the process of shooting stunt work – what could be handed off to other stunt people and what the actor would practically need to know."

"So I was doing these huge choreographed sequences and I had no previous experience with any of that stuff," she continued. "It was just a massive lifestyle change immediately upon getting cast."

"I was living in L.A. at the time, and I went to this massive, huge, muscle meathead gym. I didn't know how to use any of the equipment. I mean, I was so intimidated."

Johansson previously reflected on "Iron Man 2" in June 2021 around the release of her first MCU solo film, "Black Widow" when she told HelloBeautiful that Romanoff was initially "so sexualized."

"[She's] really talked about like she's a piece of something, like a possession or a thing or whatever — like a piece of a--, really," she said. "And Tony even refers to her as something like that at one point."

Johansson is referring to Romanoff's introduction to Tony Stark in "Iron Man 2."

Stark's girlfriend Pepper Potts describes her as "potentially a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit" and Stark admires a picture of Romanoff in black lingerie. When Romanoff leaves Stark tells Potts: "I want one."

Johansson said she was appreciative of the changing attitudes in Marvel films. "Now people, young girls, are getting a much more positive message," she said.

"It's been incredible to be a part of that shift and be able to come out the other side and be a part of that old story, but also progress; evolve. I think it's pretty cool."