MONT BELVIEU, Texas — Hawkeye’d Marvel fans noticed a special moment in the series premiere: a subtle tribute to Black Widow: a little girl in black, her red hair braided like Natasha Romanoff, who waves at Clint Barton.
"It is just two or three seconds, and it got so many photos, edits. It’s crazy," says Annalise Bergen, who played the character on the popular Disney+ show. "I was supposed to look exactly like Black Widow right before she died in Endgame, and how I looked and waved back at him made him so hurt or guilty, I guess."
Annalise, who's 12 and from Mont Belvieu, just started acting about two years ago.
“Annalise is one of those talents that, when they come across your desk and you talk to them, you get so excited because, for being such a young kid, she sees things behind the screen and in the big picture," says Julie Bateman, Annalise's agent at Gravity Hill Agency.
Throughout the audition process, Annalise says she wasn't sure what role she was up for. That news didn't come until she landed on set in Atlanta.
"Whenever I entered the actual theater, it hit me that I was going to be in Marvel," Annalise says. "It made me really nervous, but I was really excited at the same time. A jumble of emotions."
Filming meant she got to see part of Rogers: The Musical. (That’s Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, in case you don’t know.)
"There wasn’t an actual full musical. It was just that one piece that they played. It was really entertaining," says Annalise. "My mom liked it. A lot. A lot, a lot."
Along with the experience, Annalise also got photos with director Rhys Thomas and, of course, Hawkeye himself, Jeremy Renner.
"I was wanting to go and ask him, then he was like, ‘You want to go take a picture?’ I was like ‘Sure!’" Annalise recalls. "It was just great being on set."
So what's next for her? She’s home, focused on 6th grade and is ready for the next audition.
"Even an extra in Disney would be really awesome," laughs Annalise.
“I’m just so excited to see where she’s going to go with her career. She’s somebody who’s going to be a producer, a director, a writer," Bateman says. "I’m really lucky to be watching what’s happening with her.”
Everyone starts somewhere, and this small-screen role is a huge stage for this pint-sized actress.
"It really is," says Annalise. "It’s been around the globe in different languages and everything."
You can watch (or re-watch) the series on Disney+.
Note: Annalise's father works within TEGNA, the company that owns KHOU 11.