Summary
Overview
Florence Pugh joins Louis Theroux for an intimate conversation about her career spanning indie films and Marvel blockbusters, the physical and emotional toll of method acting, boundaries in intimate scenes, dealing with public scrutiny of her relationships, and her journey through health challenges and personal growth. She candidly discusses everything from jumping off the second tallest building in the world for Thunderbolts to experiencing a breakdown after Midsommar.
Straddling Indie and Marvel: The Best of Both Worlds
Florence discusses her decision to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe at age 22 or 23, addressing criticism from the indie film community who thought she'd abandoned art house cinema. She explains how working on both types of films exercises different parts of her brain and ability, with Marvel films allowing her to reach wider audiences while continuing to support smaller movies. The work is fundamentally different—from the scale of production to the responsibility of protecting her character in massive franchise films versus the intimacy of indie projects.
- Many in the indie world were 'really pissed off' when she joined Marvel, assuming she was 'gone forever'
- Marvel films help support smaller movies by bringing attention to them—'because of the amount of people that are watching these movies, you're also giving more attention and more light to the smaller movies'
- The different types of films exercise different parts of her brain and ability, requiring her to step up in different ways
- In massive productions, 'it's very much up to you to make sure that every decision that is being made is correct' to protect your character
" We're all dressed in our superhero costumes and we're all playing like just playing as if we're saving the world and it's just such a unique thing to do "
The Authenticity of Performance: Never Giving 'Shit Stuff'
Florence reveals her fierce commitment to authenticity in her performances, explaining that she never wants to do anything that feels fake or doesn't align correctly inside her. Early in her career, she found herself arguing with directors more frequently to protect her characters, though she's softened this approach over time. She shares an example of a male co-star intervening when a director pushed for too many takes of an emotional crying scene—something she notes she wouldn't have been able to do herself without being labeled 'a nightmare' as a woman on set.
- She never wants to give a version of a performance that isn't aligning inside her correctly
- Early in her career, she argued more with directors because she was still figuring out the director-actor relationship
- Women on set face a double standard: 'you can't really be a problem because people will say that you're a nightmare'
- A male co-star intervened when a director pushed for a seventh take of an intense crying scene, telling him 'don't do that, man. Don't put her through that'
" I never wanted to be put in a situation that didn't feel right. And I didn't want them to have that and then use it. And I know that's obviously, you know, what a director is for and it's their version. It's what they want. But I just always felt so protective of the character that I was playing. "
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