The role Ray Winstone wanted to quit: “You ought to recast it because that was it for me”
There comes a time in most actors’ lives when they’re offered a role completely different to what they’re used to. It’s a good sign – at least you’re not known as the kind of star who can only play one kind of character – but it can be incredibly daunting, making you wonder if you’re selling out. For Ray Winstone, a role that was considerably bigger and far-removed from those he was used to, considering he’d cut his teeth in many gritty indie movies, caused him to try and quit, but he soon realised it was too late.
The actor didn’t exactly stumble into acting by chance, but he certainly could’ve never anticipated the success he would go on to achieve when he was young, having grown up playing on bomb sites in post-WW2 London before attempting to hone a career as a boxer. Yet, Winstone’s interest in cinema eventually led him to audition for the play Scum on a whim, and to his surprise, he landed the leading role.
The production proved incredibly controversial, with the initial broadcast of the television play (as part of the BBC’s Play for Today series) being withdrawn from the air. While Winstone’s potential big break was censored, he needn’t have worried – he reprised his role in Alan Clarke’s film version, released in 1979, before the original Play for Today would eventually be broadcast in 1983.
By the early ‘80s, Winstone was much more widely known, owing to parts in movies like Quadrophenia and Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains. Still, his career fluctuated, and he soon realised that nabbing good film roles was a rather hard task, leaving him to predominantly appear in television episodes and theatre over the coming decade. The ‘90s was much more successful for the actor, however, with performances in films like Ladybird, Ladybird, Nil By Mouth, Face, and The War Zone further establishing Winstone’s talent for giving complex portrayals of ‘hard’ or troubled characters.
When Winstone reached the 2000s, his career took him to Hollywood, where he worked with filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Chris Columbus. However, none of these roles introduced him to the world of blockbuster cinema quite like his role as Dreykov in Marvel’s Black Widow. It seemed like such a rogue choice for Winstone – known for his stunning performances in grimy British movies, often independently made. Yet, Winstone has come a long way since those days, so it’s no surprise he accepted a role that would propel him to even greater heights.
Winstone soon realised that he was not cut out for Marvel, however. Having spent much of his career working closely with filmmakers who are creative and hands-on, he found the interference from higher-up executives too much, telling The Independent, “You find out that a few producers have come down, and your performance is too much, it’s too strong. That’s the way Marvel works.”
He called the experience “soul-destroying,” revealing that he found himself at the point of wanting to quit. The actor continued, “I actually said, ‘You ought to recast it,’ because that was it for me. And you end up doing it again because you’re contracted to do it. Otherwise, you end up in court. It’s like being kicked in the balls.”
Black Widow was praised as much as a Marvel film can be praised, with the performances of the cast members, which included Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh, receiving attention. Still, it played into all the usual Marvel hallmarks, and for Winstone, there just wasn’t enough chance for him to work creatively enough and fully dedicate himself to the role.
