Florence Pugh has been acting professionally for less than a decade, and she’s already established a reputation as one of the most talented performers on the scene. Getting her first acting debut in 2014 for The Falling, the young English actress seems willing and eager to try her hand at a number of different genres. Although she’s most frequently been seen in period dramas ranging from the wilds of England and Ireland in the 19th century to the cityscapes of the mid-20th century, she’s no stranger to horror films, thrillers, superhero flicks, and even feel-good family movies.
A bonafide Hollywood star, Pugh has received praise not only from audiences, critics, and the film community, but also from fans and fashionistas for her bold, "daring" red carpet looks. Now in her mid-20s, she’s already earned an Academy Award nomination and two BAFTA nominations for her impressive work. Here are just a handful of the films that have made her one of the most prominent actors working today.
A Good Person
Written and directed by Florence Pugh’s then-boyfriend Zach Braff, A Good Person is an indie drama about a woman grappling with the consequences of one terrible mistake. After causing an accident behind the wheel that took the lives of her fiance’s brother and his wife, Allison (Pugh) has spent a year in a drug-fueled fog, struggling to overcome the guilt she feels over the car crash. When she attends a recovery meeting, she runs into her ex-fiance’s father (Morgan Freeman), who has his own demons to bear. Although A Good Person received mixed reviews from critics for its sentimentality, Pugh earned praise for her emotionally honest performance.
Don’t Worry Darling
Expectations were high for Don’t Worry Darling, the sophomore directorial outing of Olivia Wilde after she impressed audiences with the teen comedy Booksmart. The psychological drama stars Harry Styles (it’s one of two movies from 2022 that attempted to establish the singer as a leading man, alongside My Policeman) and Florence Pugh as a married couple who move to a seemingly perfect company town, only to realize that it possesses some dark secrets of its own. Don’t Worry Darling, like many films from new directors, was in danger of trying to do too much. The result is a slightly convoluted finished product that doesn’t live up to its premise; (see more in our review). Nevertheless, Pugh comes out of the production unscathed, largely because Harry Styles’ performance drew more ire from critics, while hers was considered perfectly adequate in a nonsensical story.
Oppenheimer
Florence Pugh may not have the biggest role in Oppenheimer, but she certainly makes an impression – both within the narrative and as a part of the discourse that surrounded the film upon its release. She plays Jean Tatlock, Oppenheimer’s on-again-off-again lover, a frequently depressed communist whose life ended tragically at a young age. The two have an explosive, passionate romance – one that was discussed ad nauseam in conversations about Christopher Nolan’s unexpected decision to include sex scenes between the two characters – but neither is quite stable enough to make it work. In her brief appearance, she provides a mesmerizing screen presence, making it clear why Oppenheimer was so enthralled by her. See our review of Oppenheimer.
The Wonder
Once again stretching her period drama muscles, Florence Pugh stars in The Wonder, a strange little Netflix film about a young Irish girl from a devout Catholic family who claims not to have eaten for months. Pugh is an English nurse sent over to examine the girl and take part in a study of sorts: She and a nun will take turns watching her, ensuring that the child is not being given food discreetly while no one is looking, and at the end of two weeks, they will share their findings. The girl is either a miracle or a fraud, and it’s up to them to discover which. The Wonder pits science against faith, truth against a good story. Pugh is commanding in the lead role as a level-headed woman determined to find a logical explanation in the face of religious fervor and superstition. Although IGN's review of the film itself was not so favorable, Pugh still delivers.
Fighting With My Family
One of the first films to highlight Pugh’s ability to thrive in a contemporary setting, Fighting With My Family is perhaps her most unique outing as a performer. She plays a British teen growing up in a family of amateur wrestlers, whose life is changed when she and her brother are given the opportunity to train in a WWE feeder program, one that might eventually let them compete in the big leagues. But for them to succeed, they have to move beyond just learning the moves and having passion; they have to develop winning personas – something that Pugh’s character struggles with from the beginning. There’s a tremendous warmth to her performance as the real-life wrestler Saraya, one that made Fighting With My Family a true crowd pleaser and cemented Pugh as a rising star to watch. See our review.
Little Women
A lot of people were confused when Florence Pugh was cast as Amy, the youngest March daughter, in Little Women. How was a fully grown woman supposed to convincingly play a character who begins the story as an 11-year-old girl? While Pugh admittedly looks a little silly alongside the actual children who play her classmates, she’s perfectly cast as the sometimes vain but emotionally intelligent Amy, who grows and changes over the course of the film more than any other character. She has wonderful chemistry with Timothee Chalamet as Laurie, and this is perhaps the only cinematic adaptation of Little Women that succeeds in making their relationship more than an afterthought. For her efforts, Pugh earned her first Academy Award nomination. See IGN's review of Little Women.
Midsommar
What to say about Midsommar? It’s a dark movie (yet somehow blindingly bright) from director Ari Aster, and Florence Pugh is the human incarnation of grief at its heart. Reeling from the murder-suicide of her sister and parents, Pugh’s Dani agrees to travel to Sweden with her boyfriend and a few of their friends, one of whom is doing his doctoral work on a local pagan cult. Folk horror at its finest, Midsommar takes the group on a wild journey that includes the sacrificial – and extremely gruesome – death of community elders, some heavy hallucinogenic drugs, and your typical group scream session. Sure, the trip doesn’t end well for the majority of the interlopers, but Pugh seems to find some solace in the cult’s clutching embrace. See our review.
Outlaw King
When you think of people who could play the fearsome Scottish warrior Robert the Bruce, Chris Pine might not be at the top of your list. And yet that’s exactly who David Mackenzie brought on to play the lead in his historical Netflix drama Outlaw King – and to the credit of the American actor, it (mostly) works. Florence Pugh plays Elizabeth de Burgh, who is wed to Robert the Bruce at a young age. Although their marriage is a political union, they have genuine affection for one another, and Elizabeth goes through horrific trials as a result of their relationship. Outlaw King features one of Pugh’s earliest high-profile roles and showcases how well she performs in period dramas. See our review.
Lady Macbeth
Pugh first caught the eyes of critics and audiences in 2016 as Katherine in Lady Macbeth. At just 20 years old, she plays a young woman in 19th-century England who is married off to a much older man who has little interest in her. She lives in a remote manor with her husband and his severe father, but when both men are called away on business, she has the place to herself. Does she let freedom go to her head? That’s probably an understatement, since she begins an affair with a servant and carries out a string of murders. As Katherine, Florence Pugh is a cold, amoral creature willing to do anything to get what she wants. She’s certainly not a likable character, but in the hands of Pugh, she’s magnetic.
Black Widow
After years of appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Widow finally got her standalone movie in 2020. (It arguably came a little past the peak popularity of the Avengers, but better late than never.) The film takes a look at Black Widow’s life before she joined up with Iron Man and the rest of the Marvel superhero team. And in the grand tradition of up-and-coming stars over the past few decades, Florence Pugh turns up in the MCU as Yelena Belova, the younger sister of Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow) and an accomplished assassin in her own right. She brings star quality to the otherwise uneven film and proves that she can be relied upon to handle any role with the grace and skill of an actress twice her age. Plus, Black Widow's best joke was improvised by Pugh. Also, see our review here.
Audrey Fox is a contributing writer at IGN. She's worked as an entertainment writer for five years, with bylines at /Film, RogerEbert.com, and The Nerdist. Audrey is currently a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, and the Online Female Film Critics Association.
