Florence Pugh on why it's important for her not to 'fit into stereotypes made by others'
Florence Pugh isn't letting anything or anyone change who she is.
In an interview with The Times published on Sunday, the actress, who is known for her roles in "Dune: Part 2," "Little Women" and more, talked about living life unapologetically and opened up about how "exhausting" it is for women to be in the film industry.
"There are fine lines women have to stay within, otherwise they are called a diva, demanding, problematic," Pugh said. "And I don't want to fit into stereotypes made by others."
When it comes to beauty standards in film and television, Pugh said she recalls the "godawful headlines" about actresses like Keira Knightley and their appearance, despite their talent.
"The only thing people want to talk about is some useless crap about how they look," she said.
Still, she added, "Look, not everybody has legs that go on for days. I remember watching this industry and feeling that I wasn't represented."
The conversations around how women look in the film industry inspired Pugh to not give into the negative comments or change the way she looked to fit in.
"I wanted to challenge how women were perceived, how we are supposed to look," she said. "Actually I wasn't trying to challenge. I just wanted to be there, to make space for a version of a person that isn't all the things they used to have to be."
In the past, Pugh has called out trolls for criticizing her looks or her fashion choices. In 2022, after wearing a pink, see-through Valentino gown to a fashion show Rome, she took to Instagram and told those commenting on her body to "grow up" and "respect all women."
Speaking with The Times, Pugh said she's "proud" that she's "stuck by myself" over the years "and look the way I look."
While changing beauty standards isn't something she can do on her own, Pugh said she can "help young women coming into this industry by making conversations happen where they weren't before."
Elsewhere in the interview, Pugh talked about how her perspective on life "changed" when she finished work on her recent film, "We Live In Time," which she starred in alongside Andrew Garfield. The romantic comedy-drama film follows a couple's relationship over the course of a decade.
"Relationships came and went, and I had this opportunity to look at my life away from my work," she said.
"I had to look away from my career, from my movies, from wanting to be this kind of actor, that kind of actor. Or how many awards I would love to get before I pass away," she added. "That's been my focus for ten years, but I want to make sure that the things I need to do, whether children, family, change, change in relationships… well, I realised I need to make changes now."
"There is a time frame on our lives and it shouldn't be something we wait for to happen," she added. "Life should be something we're in control of."
