Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh Filmed Black Widow While Sick With Pneumonia

A new profile of Scarlett Johansson, in The Gentlewoman, has revealed that the actress as well as her co-star Florence Pugh both shot "Black Widow" while being sick with pneumonia.

"It was like being in the army," director Cate Shortland said of the four-month shoot. "Black Widow" was filmed in the US, UK, Morocco and Norway.

Despite the tough filming conditions, Shortland said Johansson was always in good spirits.

"She's completely unpretentious," Shortland explained, "and that makes her really fun to be around. She'll be joking with the best boy or the runner; there's no hierarchy. She appreciates people, and she makes people feel appreciated."

"She really pushed to make something that wasn't flimsy or superficial," Shortland added of Johansson, who also served as an executive producer. "She wanted to make something that meant a lot to young people and to women. And she knew it was possibly her last film as Black Widow -- she didn't want to leave Marvel making a feel-good movie."

As fans know, Natasha Romanoff a.k.a Black Widow died in 2019's "Avengers: Endgame" after she sacrificed her life for Clint Barton/Hawkeye so the Avengers could obtain the Soul Stone and defeat Thanos.

"Black Widow," which will mark Johansson's first solo superhero film, is set between 2016's "Captain America: Civil War" and 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War." It will be the first film in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The release for "Black Widow" has been delayed three times amid the coronavirus pandemic. The film was originally scheduled to hit theaters on May 1, 2020, before being pushed an entire year to May 7, 2021. However, last week, Disney announced that the film was delayed again and will be released on July 9, 2021.

Despite the studio's original plan to keep "Black Widow" as a solely theatrical release, Disney ultimately changed their minds and said the film will drop in theaters and on Disney+ via Premier Access.