Florence Pugh credits Tom Holland for her Spider-Man: Brand New Day role

Florence Pugh has Tom Holland to thank for her role in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" — literally. Appearing Monday night on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," the actor said a single red-carpet answer from Holland years ago is why Yelena Belova ended up sharing a movie with Spider-Man. Pugh was there to talk about the Marvel blockbuster's record box-office run, but the part of the story she kept circling was how she got onto the call sheet at all.

"This all happened because of Tom," Pugh said. She explained that when she first joined Marvel, her superspy wasn't a marquee name. "Years ago, when I just started my relationship with Marvel and 'Black Widow' came out, my Yelena wasn't as obviously big as all of the other big superheroes." Then, on the red carpet for a previous film, Holland was asked who he wanted to appear with next.

"He said, 'No, actually, I want to do it with Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena.' So because of that, fans were then so excited about the idea of it."

The fan enthusiasm didn't stay theoretical. Pugh first played Yelena in 2021's "Black Widow," then reprised the part in 2025's "Thunderbolts*" and again in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." Within the MCU, Yelena is an assassin and the successor to the Black Widow title. Fans had been asking for the pairing ever since, and Marvel eventually made it official.

The Spidey sequel has the receipts to match all the buildup: it premiered July 31 and has grossed $2.49 billion domestically, ranking third on the all-time box-office chart behind "Avatar" ($2.92 billion) and "Avengers: Endgame" ($2.88 billion). "Well done, Spidey!" Pugh said.

Two more Pugh films land Dec. 18

She won't be off screens long. "Dune: Part Three," reuniting her with director Denis Villeneuve as Princess Irulan Corrino, opens Dec. 18. The same day, she is back as Yelena in "Avengers: Doomsday," the Anthony and Joe Russo-directed follow-up to "Avengers: Endgame."