Florence Pugh

Florence Pugh ( ; born 3 January 1996) is an English actress. Her accolades include a British Independent Film Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and three BAFTA Awards.

After making her acting debut in the drama film '' The Falling'' (2014), Pugh gained praise for starring in the independent drama ''Lady Macbeth'' (2016) and the miniseries '' The Little Drummer Girl'' (2018). Her international breakthrough came in 2019 with her portrayals of professional wrestler Paige in the sports film '' Fighting with My Family'', a despondent American woman in the horror film '' Midsommar'', and Amy March in the period drama ''Little Women''. For the last of these, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Pugh has played Yelena Belova in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starring in the films '' Black Widow'' (2021) and '' Thunderbolts*'' (2025), as well as the Disney+ miniseries ''Hawkeye'' (2021). In her highest-grossing releases, she voiced Goldilocks in '' Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'' (2022), and portrayed Jean Tatlock in '' Oppenheimer'' (2023) and Princess Irulan in '' Dune: Part Two'' (2024). She also continued to gain praise for her performances in dramas such as '' We Live in Time'' (2024).

Early life

Florence Pugh was born on 3 January 1996 in Oxford to dancer Deborah and restaurateur Clinton Pugh. She has three siblings: actor and musician Toby Sebastian, actress Arabella Gibbins, and Rafaela "Raffie" Pugh. She suffered from tracheomalacia (a windpipe condition causing breathing problems) as a child, which led to frequent hospitalisations. The family relocated to Manilva in Spain when Pugh was three years old, hoping the warmer weather would improve her health. They lived there until she was six, when they moved back to Oxford.

She was privately educated at Wychwood School and St Edward's School, Oxford, but disliked how the schools did not support her acting ambitions.

Career

Early roles (2014–2018)

While still studying in sixth form, Pugh made her professional acting debut in the 2014 drama '' The Falling'', playing a precocious teenager opposite Maisie Williams. Tara Brady of ''The Irish Times'' deemed Pugh "remarkable", while IndieWire's Oliver Lyttelton called her "striking". In the same year, Pugh was nominated for Best British Newcomer at the BFI London Film Festival as well as for Young British / Irish Performer of the Year by the London Film Critics' Circle. The next year, she was cast as a singer-songwriter in the dramedy pilot ''Studio City'', co-starring Eric McCormack as the character's father. The pilot was not picked up to series. Pugh later characterised her experience on ''Studio City'' negatively due to pressures to change her appearance.

In 2016, Pugh starred in the independent drama ''Lady Macbeth'', a film based on Nikolai Leskov's novella '' Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District'', and appeared in the first series of the ITV detective series '' Marcella''. In the former, she played Katherine, an unhappily married bride who grows violent. Pugh attributed her attraction to the part to her partiality to characters with "confusing or at least interesting" motivations. The role earned her acclaim. She also credited the production with reviving her interest in cinema after being dispirited by ''Studio City''. Reviewing the film for '' Variety'', Guy Lodge commended her portrayal of the character's "complex, under-the-skin transformation". She won the BIFA for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film for the role.

In 2018, Pugh was nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award at the 71st British Academy Film Awards. She then played Cordelia to Anthony Hopkins's titular King Lear in Richard Eyre's television film ''King Lear'' and appeared in the short film '' Leading Lady Parts'' in support of the Time's Up initiative. Later that year, Pugh portrayed Elizabeth de Burgh in the Netflix historical film ''Outlaw King'', co-starring Chris Pine as Robert the Bruce. Charles Bramesco of ''The Guardian'' found her to be "excellent despite her thankless role". She next starred in a six-part miniseries adaptation of John le Carré's spy novel '' The Little Drummer Girl'', in which she played an actress who becomes embroiled in an espionage plot. Her performance was met with praise. While divided on the series overall, Richard Lawson of '' Vanity Fair'' called Pugh "terrific throughout" and added that she "smartly mixes earthiness with sophistication, wisdom with naïveté."

Breakthrough and critical recognition (2019–present)

Pugh starred in three major films in 2019, during which she was recognised as having experienced an international breakthrough. She first played professional wrestler Paige in '' Fighting with My Family'', a comedy-drama about Paige's career. The film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews. Geoffrey Macnab of ''The Independent'' called Pugh "completely convincing as the wrestler", adding that she showed "the same defiance, scruffy glamour and self-deprecating humour as the real life ... Paige". Pugh next headlined Ari Aster's horror film '' Midsommar'', which chronicles an American couple, played by her and Jack Reynor, who travel to Sweden and encounter a cult. Critics complimented Pugh's portrayal of the desolate Dani Ardor, with David Edelstein of ''Vulture'' calling it "amazingly vivid".

In her final film release of the year, Pugh starred in ''Little Women'', a period drama film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel of the same name directed by Greta Gerwig. She portrayed Amy March, a fickle artist, from age 12 into adulthood, and has said that the character is in a "sweet spot of not knowing how to deal with her emotions". The film received critical acclaim and grossed $209 million. In his review, David Rooney of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' praised the "disarming grace, humor and a willful streak that grows almost imperceptibly into wisdom" with which Pugh managed the part's "tricky contradictions". Pugh earned nominations for the BAFTA and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.

Pugh portrayed Yelena Belova, a spy, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film '' Black Widow''. She said the film was about "girls who are stolen from around the world". Released in 2021, it garnered positive reviews from critics, who highlighted Pugh's performance. Caryn James of BBC Culture credited Pugh for making Belova "the most vibrant person in the film, more lived-in than most action-movie characters". She reprised the role in the Disney+ series '' Hawkeye'' later in the year.

In 2022, Pugh starred in the thriller '' Don't Worry Darling'', directed by Olivia Wilde, and the drama '' The Wonder'', an adaptation of Emma Donoghue's namesake novel. While filming the former, she allegedly clashed with Wilde, causing her to limit the amount of promotion she did for the film. ''Don't Worry Darling'' premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, where critics deemed Pugh's performance superior to the film. In ''The Wonder'', she played a nurse in 1862 who is sent to investigate an alleged supernatural miracle. Kevin Maher of ''The Times'' found Pugh's "impossibly vivid and convincing" performance to be the film's prime asset. In her final release of the year, she voiced Goldilocks in the DreamWorks animated film '' Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'', which earned over $480 million worldwide.

Zach Braff's drama film '' A Good Person'' (2023), in which Pugh starred as a car crash survivor, marked her first producing venture. Instead of opting for a wig, Pugh cut off her own hair for the part. She also wrote and sang two songs, "The Best Part" and "I Hate Myself", for the film's soundtrack. In Christopher Nolan's biographical film '' Oppenheimer'', starring Cillian Murphy in the title role, Pugh played Communist Party USA member Jean Tatlock. ''Empire''s Dan Jolin wrote that she "elegantly dominate her few scenes". With a worldwide gross of over $967 million, ''Oppenheimer'' is Pugh's highest-grossing release.

Pugh next played Princess Irulan in '' Dune: Part Two'', a sequel to the 2021 science fiction film. Released in 2024, the film garnered positive reviews and grossed over $711 million worldwide. Andrew Garfield and Pugh starred as a couple navigating cancer in John Crowley's romantic drama '' We Live in Time''. She shaved her head for her role in the film. Glenn Whipp of the ''Los Angeles Times'' deemed her performance to be the production's prime asset.

In 2025, Pugh reprised the role of Yelena Belova in '' Thunderbolts*''. She insisted on performing a stunt involving jumping off the second tallest building in the world herself. Pugh stated her reasoning being: "It’s our duty as actors to protect and defend your characters and to put in the life. There’s so much that’s on the page, but it’s really what you add to it in the last 20% that actually makes every character that any actor plays. There’s so many -isms that I was very welcomed into putting into the movie."

Upcoming

Pugh will next play the lead role of Cathy Ames in a limited series adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel '' East of Eden''.

Public image

Pugh is known for her fashion sense, with publications such as ''Harper's Bazaar'' and ''British Vogue'' calling her fashion choices "bold", "daring" and "unique". At a Valentino show in 2022, she wore a sheer pink gown, which led to some backlash as it showed her nipples. Commenting on the reception, she defended her choice and her body on Instagram. A year later, she wore another transparent gown to a Valentino event.

Journalists have often noted Pugh's outspokenness when using social media to address issues such as body shaming, cyberbullying, and beauty standards. ''British Vogue'' Raven Smith reported that her sincerity, interest in others, and humility distinguish her from more guarded actors, whereas Andrea Cuttler of ''Harper's Bazaar'' said that her open off-screen persona has come to be expected due to establishing "a career playing women who refuse to be silenced". Annie Lourd of ''The Independent'' credits Pugh with "carving out a niche playing difficult characters you know you should hate, but, for whatever reason, end up rooting for". Pugh has said that she gravitates towards roles that terrify or challenge her, and observed that "all of my movies have that element of women being forced into a corner, forced into an opinion, forced into a way of life ... And then finally, something cracks".

In a 2022 readers' poll by ''Empire'' magazine, she was voted one of the 50 greatest actors of all time. Terming her "one of the very best of her generation", the magazine attributed her success to bringing "a grounded empathy to her characters". Pugh was included on the entertainment category of ''Forbes'' magazine's annual 30 Under 30 list, which recognises the 30 most influential people in Europe under the age of 30, in 2019. ''Time'' magazine placed her on the artists category of its 100 Next list, which highlights rising stars and emerging leaders in their fields, in 2021. In 2023, the magazine featured her in their Next Generation Leaders list.

Personal life and other work

From 2019 to 2022, Pugh was in a relationship with American actor and filmmaker Zach Braff. They met while working together on the short film ''In the Time It Takes to Get There'', which Braff directed, and lived together in Los Angeles. She defended the 21-year age-gap between them, following public scrutiny. She dated photographer Charlie Gooch in 2023.

Pugh has polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis.

From 2013 to 2016, Pugh performed cover songs under the name Flossie Rose on YouTube. She was featured on her brother's song "Midnight", released on 15 May 2021. In 2020, she participated in the series '' Acting for a Cause'' for a live reading of Kenneth Lonergan's play ''This Is Our Youth'' to help raise funds for the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a nonprofit organisation, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Discography

Single

Soundtrack

Accolades

Pugh has been nominated for an Academy Award and two British Academy Film Awards. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, both for her work in ''Little Women'', as well as a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination. Her performances in ''Lady Macbeth'' and ''The Wonder'' respectively earned her a British Independent Film Award win and another nomination. At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, Pugh was awarded the Trophée Chopard. As part of the ensemble of Christopher Nolan's '' Oppenheimer'', Pugh won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pugh, Florence
1996 births
21st-century English actresses
Actresses from Oxford
Chopard Trophy for Female Revelation winners
English expatriate actresses in the United States
English film actresses
English television actresses
English voice actresses
Living people
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
People educated at St Edward's School, Oxford
People educated at Wychwood School