Florence Pugh has taken Hollywood by storm, stealing our hearts in the process. The English actress shows through her talented catalog that she’s a movie star in her own right.
Let’s take a look back at some of her filmography in celebration of Oppenheimer hitting theaters! There is no doubt that her acting talent and dedication are second to none.
Who is Florence Pugh?
Florence Pugh was born in Oxford, England, on January 3, 1996, to restaurateur Clinton Pugh and dancer Deborah Pugh. She has three siblings, including actor and musician Toby Sebastian, actress Arabella Gibbons, and sister Rafaela Pugh.
When she was little, doctors diagnosed Florence Pugh with tracheomalacia, a medical condition where the trachea closes up when breathing. Her family moved to Spain because they believed the warmer weather would help improve her health. Eventually, they moved back to Oxford when Florence turned six. Her condition has improved with age, leaving her with a deeper and raspier voice.
How did Florence Pugh get into acting?
Since playing Mary in her school’s nativity play at age six, Florence Pugh has always known she wanted to perform. While still in school, she made her acting debut alongside Maisie Willaims in the 2014 drama The Falling. This film helped catapult her into the career she has today.
Lady Macbeth (2016)
Florence Pugh plays a young woman scorned in Alice Birch’s Lady Macbeth. The British drama follows Katherine Lester, who is in a loveless marriage to an older man, Alexander, in 1865 Northumberland. When her husband leaves for some time for business matters, Katherine begins an affair with a young man who works on the estate.
Debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016, the movie went on to earn 14 nominations at the British Independent Film Awards, with Florence Pugh winning Best Actress.
In an interview with NPR, Florence expressed her excitement in playing a complicated character like Katherine:
“I didn’t want her to be a villain. And any – the only way that we would support her until the end was if we recognized something in her, was if we, you know, wanted to look after her, we wanted to care for her as the audience. And so I approached that by simply making her very simple, very human, quite literally just being as instinctive as she is. And I think that’s probably one of the beauties about her is so naughty and delicious.”
Check out the movie trailer:
Watch Lady Macbeth on Amazon Prime.
King Lear (2018)
Florence Pugh stars as Sir. Anthony Hopkins’ youngest daughter Cordelia in the British-American television film King Lear. The story is adapted from the Shakespearean play of the same name and is set in an alternative universe of 21st century militarized London. When King Lear (Anthony Hopkins) ends his reign and divides his kingdom among his three daughters, chaos ensues. The cast also includes Emma Thompson as Goneril and Emily Watson as Regan.
Watch King Lear on Amazon Prime.
Outlaw King (2018)
In the Netflix historical drama Outlaw King, Florence Pugh proved she has a knack for period pieces. She plays Elizabeth de Burgh, wife of the 14th-century warrior and Scottish king Robert the Bruce (Chris Pine). When England takes control of Scotland and forces Bruce into exile, he leads a group of outlaws to reclaim his throne.
While most cast members are men, Florence Pugh makes her mark as the beautiful and loyal Elizabeth, and her powerful screen presence never falters.
Watch Outlaw King on Netflix.
Malevolent (2018)
The actress dabbles with horror in the British film, Malevolent. Florence Pugh stars with Ben Lloyd-Hughes as sibling scam artists who fake paranormal encounters for money. After accepting an assignment at a country home, the duo realizes they are among real paranormal activities. The story is based on the novel Hush by Eva Konstantopoulos.
Whether you believe in ghosts or not, Florence Pugh’s performance encourages all of us to double-check our attics at night, just in case.
Watch Malevolent on Netflix.
Leading Lady Parts (2019)
Florence Pugh plays herself in Jessica Swale’s short film Leading Lady Parts. The story follows A-List actresses— Emilia Clark, Stacy Martin, Felicity Jones, Gemma Chan, Lena Headey, Wunmi Mosaku, and Florence— as they audition for the “leading lady part.” Inspired by the Time’s Up movement, the panelists (Catherine Tate, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Welsh) pick the actresses apart, ask silly questions, and add misogynistic remarks.
While the dramatization might look completely ridiculous, the film accurately portrays the demanding standards women must deal with when they audition for movie roles.
Watch Leading Lady Parts on YouTube.
Fighting with My Family (2019)
Viewers got to see Florence Pugh’s wrestling movies in the biographical sports comedy Fighting with My Family. Following the true story of the English professional wrestling family, the Knights, Florence stars as wrestling personality Saraya “Paige” Knight. When Paige earns a spot in the WWE without her brother Zak (Jack Lowden), she must enter the training program alone. Lena Headey, Nick Frost, and Vince Vaughn appear in the film, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson playing himself.
The real Saraya “Paige” Knight attended the release when the movie premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. In a behind-the-scenes clip, she spoke highly of Florence Pugh’s performance, saying, “she did such an incredible job.”
You can watch the rest of the video here:
Fighting with My Family gained significant commercial success, grossing $4.1 worldwide.
Check out the trailer:
Watch Fighting with My Family on Amazon Prime.
In the Time It Takes to Get There (2019)
Florence Pugh starred in another short film that was written and produced by her boyfriend, Zach Braff. In collaboration with Adobe Students, Zach created the short film based on a movie poster designed by a Boston University college student.
The story follows the life of the first “social media influencer” from the 1800s. Florence Pugh plays the social media star while Clueless actress Alicia Silverstone plays her publicist.
Watch In the Time It Takes to Get There on YouTube.
Midsommar (2019)
In her most frightening film to date, Florence Pugh leads the cast in Ari Aster’s horror flick Midsommar. It follows Florence’s character, Dani Ardor, as she tags along with her boyfriend (Jack Reynor) and his friends (William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter) to Sweden for a festival that happens every 90 years. Although the group believes they are there to celebrate the festival, they soon discover they are among a dangerous Scandanavian pagan cult.
While the movie prides itself on its unsettling scenes and shocking gore, the most memorable aspect of Midsommar is the emotional weight Florence Pugh carries throughout. In March of 2021, she posted to Instagram thanking the women in the film that supported her during the difficult scenes.
“Truly, these women made this scene possible.” Florence wrote in her caption. “It was TERRIFYING. As terrifying as it was to watch, it was to read and know we had to do it. I love these girls so much. I’m not a big crier, so going through that with them was true safely and love and respect. It only happened because I had them.”
Watch Midsommar on Amazon Prime.
Little Women (2019)
Florence Pugh took a complete 180 from horror when appearing in Greta Gerwig’s remake of Little Women. Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, the movie follows the lives of the March sisters in Concord, Massachusetts, during the 19th century. The cast stars Saoirse Ronan as Jo, Emma Watson as Meg, Eliza Scanlen as Beth, and Florence Pugh as the youngest sibling Amy. The film also features Laura Dern as Marmee, Timothée Chalamet as Laurie, and Meryl Streep as Aunt March.
Unlike past adaptations, Greta Gerwig interweaved scenes of the March sisters in their youth and adulthood with flashbacks and flashforwards. In a behind-the-scenes video, the cast and Greta take us through how the story changed for modern audiences.
Check out the clip below:
While the character of Amy March is often regarded as the silly, bratty sister, Florence Pugh wanted to show audiences that she had much more depth.
“You know, [Amy] was an incredible artist,” she says in an interview with JUNKEE. “She had a lot of ambition, and she really wanted to succeed. Only because of the era and the state of what women had to live by, I suppose, that she had to give up on her dreams, which is a massive thing. I was given a wonderful opportunity to give this character something more.”
It seemed to have worked because people took to Twitter to express their newfound love for the Amy character.
The film received six Academy Award nominations, including Florence Pugh earning a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Check out the trailer:
Watch Little Women on Starz.
Black Widow (2021)
Jumping on the Marvel superhero train, Florence Pugh stars alongside Scarlett Johansson in the upcoming new movie release Black Widow. This will be the 24th installment for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After the events of Captain America: Civil War, Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) must confront her past relationships when a dangerous conspiracy threatens her life. Florence Pugh plays Yelena Belova, a sister-like figure to Natasha, who has also trained to be a Black Widow. David Harbour and Rachel Weisz also star.
While the film was meant to release in May 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused its delay. The movie will premiere simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 9th. Until then, enjoy a behind-the-scenes photo from David Harbour’s Instagram.
Check out the new movie trailer below:
Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
Florence Pugh and Harry Styles play a married couple in Olivia Wilde’s upcoming 1950s psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling. The story follows an unhappy housewife, Alice, who uncovers an alarming truth about her “perfect” husband.
This is Harry Styles’ second Hollywood film after premiering in Christopher Nolan’s 2017 war film Dunkirk. When the news broke that he and Florence Pugh would be working together, Twitter went crazy.
even before harry was announced to be in dwd i was obsessed with florence pugh so my reaction to finding out that he was the new jack was me crying for an hour straight
— aubreyఌ (@beautypapersrry) May 29, 2021
The tears just keep coming.
no bc dwd is going to be so fucking good. i just know florence and harry are going to be phenomenal. i’m so excited.
— madi♡²⁸ (@anditslou) May 16, 2021
We have high hopes for this movie.
Director Olivia Wilde, Chris Pine, and Gemma Chan also star in the film. When filming wrapped in February, Olivia took to Instagram to praise her cast and dedicated an Instagram post to Florence Pugh. “To work with an actor as talented and brave as @florencepugh is any director’s dream.” she wrote in her caption. “I will forever be grateful for you, Flo. It was an honor to be your captain.”
Oppenheimer (2023)
Cinema enthusiasts and history buffs relished the release of this highly anticipated film. Oppenheimer delves into the captivating life and legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a brilliant and complicated physicist part of the development of the atomic bomb.
The story focuses on his inner conflicts as he grappled with the ethical implications of nuclear weapons.
As Jean Tatlock, Florence Pugh joins the cast of Oppenheimer as a psychiatrist, Communist Party member, and close friend of Robert Oppenheimer. During the mid-20th century, Tatlock pioneered women’s involvement in science through her work. She has played a profoundly influential role in the legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Florence Pugh TV shows:
Although Florence Pugh is mainly known for her movie roles, she’s also a TV star. In 2015, she appeared in three episodes of the British detective series Marcella. She was nominated for the 2015 BAFTA Rising Star Award for her portrayal of Chairman “Charlie” Ross in the British television miniseries The Little Drummer Girl.
She will reprise her Black Widow role as Yelena Belova in the new Marvel TV series Hawkeye. The show follows Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) as he trains newcomer Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) to take over as Hawkeye. The series is set to premiere on Disney+ near the end of 2021.
Florence Pugh shined in memorable Vogue 2020 Photoshoot
The actress graced the cover of Vogue’s February 2020 photoshoot with styling by Jorden Bickham and was captured by fashion photographer Daniel Jackson.
In the photoshoot, Florence Pugh experiments with her wardrobe from blazers, heavily printed tops and skirts, and elegant blouses and vests. Working through her successful career so far, the magazine gets a personal look into her work on films like Little Women and Midsommar. Florence even gives teases about her upcoming movie Black Widow, making sure not to spoil any details. As Black Widow is the second Marvel film to focus on a female storyline, Pugh stresses the real meaning behind the story. “It’s rough and painful and emotional and funny, and not in any way. . . girly,” she tells Vogue. “It’s about broken women picking up the pieces.”
Along with acting, Florence Pugh has some more tricks up her sleeve. The issue mentions that the actress has an old Youtube channel, “Flossie Rosie,” where she’s wearing black eyeliner and sitting on her bed singing Oasis covers.
Check out one of her videos below:
Her talents are endless!
As If Florence Pugh’s Vogue interview couldn’t get any better, the magazine films her having her own eating show! In the video, she wears a bright yellow blouse and tries 11 different English dishes. Florence loves her food, and we really can’t blame her.
We’re kind of jealous that Florence Pugh can look that cute while eating.
Why everyone loves Florence Pugh
There’s something so magnetic about Florence Pugh’s energy. She’s bubbly and confident while also being hardworking. It’s the perfect trio! There’s also this relatability about her, and she seems like a fun friend rather than a superstar.
During the pandemic, she connected with her fans through cooking videos she posted on her Instagram stories. She cooked various foods like bread, cookies, and even full-course meals with an occasional dance party during the process. After the long year we’ve all had, it felt refreshing to have celebrities like Florence keep in touch with the public in the most organic way.
Florence Pugh is my best friend and she makes those cooking videos to help me and only me learn.
— Anne T. Donahue (@annetdonahue) April 4, 2020
She’s our best friend too.
Florence Pugh cooking is so zappy and cute i love her so much she’s my zone of confort pic.twitter.com/q6VbSKVgC1
— ً mari cjl ?? (@i0NLY4NG3L) May 29, 2021
They bring so much joy.
Florence pugh’s cooking videos are truly what’s getting my through this quarantine
— kaitlin. (@kaitlinvhowarth) March 31, 2020
Honestly, same.
Florence Pughs’ roles have also made an imprint on pop culture. For Halloween, many people dressed up as her character Dani from Midsommar.
Remember when @andrewwantula and I had long distance Midsommar costumes this Halloween pic.twitter.com/ziWyDX1gAN
— Sammie??? (@sammieami) April 30, 2020
What a great costume for couples!
Is it Halloween? I hadn’t noticed. pic.twitter.com/twOQhqfzoP
— Ryan Vance (@ryanjjvance) October 25, 2019
These are so creative!
Popstar Ariana Grande got in on the action, as she wore the big flower crown for her 27th birthday.
She looks gorgeous!
do u think it’s okay that midsommar is my favorite bedtime movie atm or should i seek help immediately pic.twitter.com/VShEgOCTSY
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) November 26, 2019
Don’t worry, Ariana, we love it too.
Since her rise to fame, fans have shown their love and support for the actress.
im like obsessed with florence pugh man i love her sm
— swag?¿ ? (@punklhl) June 2, 2021
You can never be too obsessed.
florence pugh the love of my life pic.twitter.com/Q5EMKnYGrF
— kenna ? (@redromancva) June 3, 2021
The love of our lives too.
florence pugh is my zone of confort, always zappy, makes me so happy see her smile pic.twitter.com/B2vRat83d4
— An ; faith in the future (@LOVERVOL91) May 29, 2021
When we see Florence smiling, instant happiness.
Florence Pugh has already made a name for herself in the Hollywood sphere and we can’t wait to see what she accomplishes in the future. As we wait for her upcoming projects, we’ll continue rewatching all of her films while maybe bringing her Youtube covers in the process. Now excuse me as I watch Midsommar for the 5th time.
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