Since starring as Amy March in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, Florence Pugh has been an unstoppable force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. The blockbuster role not only landed her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress, but it showcased her range in mesmerizing fashion. Though Pugh’s acting credits date back to 2014, her role as the youngest March sister made it clear that there’s no genre the star cannot tackle with organic embodiment. Pugh’s means of transporting into whatever time and space the character is in demonstrates a masterclass in acting alone.
This article will look into some roles Pugh has played to demonstrate how her filmography thus far authenticates that whatever role she’s in etches into the memories of viewers. Whether it’s becoming an iconic meme or exemplifying strength through a single line, Pugh’s on-screen performances leave a lasting impact. While the characters may not always be likable or even worthy of admiration, Pugh’s mannerisms in bringing them to life merit digging further to understand them better while layering them beyond the words on the page. And at only 26 years old, with her career blossoming brilliantly, Pugh’s acting chops prove why she’s one of the greatest actresses of our time.
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Seamlessly Showcases Character Growth
Sony Pictures
Only some actors manage to convey growth organically when it comes to playing the same character at different stages in their lives. Unfortunately, some fall victim to routines, remaining the same throughout the production even while the screenplay attempts to thrust them forward with dialogue. However, that’s not the case with Pugh because, thus far, every time viewers see her, she brings forth more nuances than before, while simultaneously reminding us of the things we appreciated the first time around.
A shining example of Pugh’s chops is, first and foremost, her role as Amy March. In the 1994 film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel, Kirsten Dunst plays the 12-year-old version of the character while Samantha Mathis brings adult Amy to life. In Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, Pugh breathes life into the character at all times. While the film adaptations don’t explicitly specify Amy’s age, Pugh’s performance carries the task at hand to reveal the apparent differences in the character’s aging and emotional growth process. As young Amy, Pugh is overly pouty, pitches her voice, and sprawls with her body language. While it certainly helps that Pugh isn’t as young as Dunst and, therefore, could play the older counterpart, the deliberate casting choice to keep her is also to exhibit the tremendous growth Amy experiences.
Gerwig uses warm and cool tones to move the audience from the past to the present, and as she does this, the changes in character arcs become that much more quietly profound. When viewers reunite with Amy as a grown woman in Paris, Pugh shows a completely different side to the character who’s now trying to pursue art and feeling like a failure. Pugh squares her shoulders, stands firm, and uses her normal voice to convey her character’s age distinction and growth. While some may argue that this might not be extraordinary, considering adult Amy is more familiar to her, because of the overt differences in her embodiment, we’re able to separate young and old Amy while still visibly monitoring the changes she experiences.
Pugh also does this as she brilliantly steals the spotlight in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Yelena Belova. When the audience first meets her in Black Widow, she’s sardonic, a little reckless, and subtly full of heart. After fans reunite with her in the Disney+ series Hawkeye, Pugh shows a completely different side of Yelena. She’s broken, angry, and far more vicious, all while she conceals her grief deep within. When Yelena learns the truth about Natasha’s death, Pugh’s full range of emotions exhibit how well she understands Yelena and how much more she can bring centerfold. As Yelena’s time is just beginning, when Pugh reprises her role in Thunderbolts, we can be sure of the fact that she’ll show us even more sides to the character while still maintaining her harder edges. Plus, Pugh does a natural Russian accent without once overdoing it.
She Can Hold Her Own Next to Any Actor
Pugh has acted alongside renowned names like Anthony Hopkins, Laura Dern, Emma Thompson, Chris Pine, and more, effortlessly holding her own every time, no matter who she’s playing. Pugh’s range speaks volumes, as her ability to match every actor’s mannerisms in their respective roles takes many years to master. But because Pugh embodies her characters with such keen understanding, it imaginably makes it easier for her to do this.
Additionally, while it’s impressive that she can hold her own around prominent stars, Pugh’s work in every film showcases how well she can adapt and command the room. In many adaptations, it’s hard to feel the sisterly bond between Amy and Jo March. Still, because of Pugh and Saoirse Ronan’s performances, the underlying adoration the sisters hold for one another shines through while amid screaming matches. No matter who Pugh is acting alongside, whether it’s Ronan, Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, or even her latest co-star, Harry Styles, she ensures that she not only understands her character well enough, but the person standing beside or in front of her too. This detail in her performances also allows the audience to get to know her characters more intimately.
She’s Already Tackled Various Genres
A24
Perhaps, and most importantly, Pugh’s range as an actress exhibits enough for viewers to understand that there’s no role she can’t take on. While she began her career starring in Shakespearean and period dramas, Pugh’s roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, A24’s horror Midsommar, and Don’t Worry Darling, where she’s undoubtedly the star performer, reveal that she’s not an actress to be type cast.
Whomever she is embodying, Pugh momentarily allows viewers to feel as though the characters are real people. Pugh’s version of Amy March feels like a real person with messy convictions and a desire for attention that match many of the hearts of many extroverts in our world. Yelena feels real enough to understand the profundity of her grief and the choices to move forward. Dani in Midsommar brings a natural fear front and center as she works through the mysteries in her path. And in the various parts Pugh plays as Alice in Don’t Worry Darling, she showcases multiple facets of women. Though there’s so much we’ve yet to see, every character Pugh has played establishes that her mastery of understanding and conveying natural emotions is no small feat.
