Florence Pugh Says a Tom Holland Red Carpet Remark Is Why Yelena Showed Up in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘ has become one of the biggest movies ever made. It premiered on July 31 and has grossed about $2.49 billion at the global box office, making it the third highest-grossing movie of all time, behind only ‘Avatar’ at $2.92 billion and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ at $2.88 billion.

Part of the film’s appeal was its list of surprise appearances, including Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. Kevin Feige teased the appearance in advance, so it was not a total shock, but the cameo still became one of the film’s most talked-about moments.

Now Pugh has explained how it all came about. Appearing on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ on Monday night, she revealed that fans of Yelena have Tom Holland to thank, crediting a comment he made years ago on the red carpet.

According to Pugh, the story goes back to the period after ‘Black Widow’ came out in 2021, when she was just starting her relationship with Marvel. At the time, she said, Yelena was not as obviously big as the franchise’s other superheroes.

Holland was then asked on the red carpet of his previous movie who he wanted to work with in a future film. Pugh said he named her character, saying he wanted to do it with Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena, and fans became excited about the idea. Pugh said that helped start the ball rolling, and she thanked him.

Florence Pugh got her cameo in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" all thanks to Tom Holland mentioning her in an interview years prior. ❤️🕸️ 🎥: "The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon" pic.twitter.com/eYySm2L9D0

— Page Six (@PageSix) September 29, 2026

The comment holds up. In 2021, at the premiere of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, Holland told ET that a Spider-Man and Black Widow movie would be a fun little twist.

The enthusiasm was mutual. In a 2023 BuzzFeed interview, Pugh chose Spider-Man as the hero she would want Yelena to meet, and she has said she was desperate to meet Holland for a long time.

In the film, Pugh appears briefly in a comedic scene, giving Peter Parker advice and information from her unusual office, a Russian bathhouse in New York. She has joked about spending the day in a bath with Holland, and said she did a fair bit of riffing on the day.

Her favorite line involves potatoes, and the exchange lets Yelena talk about the New Avengers with Peter as if it is a serious matter. She said it was hard to keep the details a secret.

Pugh also congratulated Spider-Man on the movie’s box office, and the show’s host praised her for the appearance.

There may be more of Yelena on the way. An extended version of the film is reportedly headed to theaters with additional scenes, including the long-awaited return of Rosario Dawson as Clare Temple. It has been suggested that the version could also include more interactions between Spider-Man and Yelena.

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton on a production budget of $225 million. It is currently the highest-grossing film of 2026.

The Fallon appearance was partly to promote her new Netflix series ‘East of Eden’, which premieres on October 1. She acknowledged that between ‘Brand New Day’, ‘East of Eden’, ‘Dune: Part Three’ and ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, it has been a busy year.

Pugh has played Yelena since ‘Black Widow’ in 2021, and reprised the role in ‘Hawkeye’, 2025’s ‘Thunderbolts*’ and now ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’. Within the MCU, Yelena is an assassin and the successor to the Black Widow title.

It's about to be a Brand New Day. Get tickets now. #SpiderManBrandNewDay is in theatres July 31. pic.twitter.com/rJeJHEfdYV

— Spider-Man Movie (@SpiderManMovie) July 21, 2026

On December 18, audiences will get a double dose of Pugh. She will reprise Yelena in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, and on the same day return as Princess Irulan Corrino in Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part Three’.

For Marvel fans, the story is a reminder of how much fan enthusiasm can shape a franchise. A single offhand red carpet answer helped bring one of the MCU’s most popular characters into the biggest movie of the year.

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