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While Marvel Studios’ Black Widow finally puts the focus on Scarlett Johannson’s Natasha Romanoff, the film will also introduce some new characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One of the biggest (both figuratively and literally) among them is David Harbour’s imposing Alexei Shostakov a.k.a. Red Guardian. The role not only allowed Harbour the opportunity to play yet another eclectic character, who wears a pretty cool outfit. Now, the Stranger Things star is opening up about his geeky reaction to seeing himself in costume for the first time.
It’s one thing to envision yourself as a superhero, but it’s a whole other thing to actually suit and perform as one on a set. David Harbour recently caught up with CinemaBlend’s Sean O’Connell and discussed wearing the Red Guardian costume on the Black Widow set for the first time. And based on Harbour’s comments, it sounds like the actor felt the way any fan would’ve felt:
It’s very special. I mean, you’d seen sketches and all that stuff, and then they build it and they bring it to you, prototype occasionally for the helmet stuff. And then they bring it to you and they present it to you, and you put it on. And it, I mean, I tried to be cool. I try to be cool and cynical about a lot of this stuff, and then you show up and you actually put it on. And there was like… Even my icy heart had a big, light bubbling joy in it. And it was like a little five-year-old, like you’re a five-year-old with the best Halloween costume on the block. … I mean, I was giggling, I was so excited.
How can you not love David Harbour turning into a total fanboy on the set of Black Widow? It’s easy to get consumed in the fun of a massive franchise like the MCU, and that certainly seems to have been the case for him. The actor went on to say that his real-life enthusiasm for the role actually carried into his performance:
You know, all this stuff you see in the movie where he comes out and he’s like, ‘Still fits.’ … I mean, that stuff was just me. It’s just… There’s no acting involved. It’s just me thinking I look great and them all laughing at me. But you could not convince me in my psychotic break that I did not look phenomenal in that.
Jokes aside, David Harbour fills out the suit quite well and, after hearing his recent comments, it’s easy to see why Alexei is so confident when he appears on screen. Harbour appears to have a great love for his character and has engrossed himself in Alexei's origins. The actor is even thinking about future projects, as he has an idea for a film in which Red Guardian faces off with Captain America.
Alexei’s ultimate fate in Black Widow is unknown at this point, but David Harbour’s character is sure to get plenty of nice moments throughout the movie. You can check it out when it arrives July 9th in theaters and on Disney+ (via Premier Access), which you can sign up for using this link.
