Florence Pugh is quite possibly the most formidable acting talent of her generation. The 27-year-old Tiffany ambassador is a true presence both on the red carpet and on screen, where she fearlessly brings her intelligence and insight to every role. She embodies every character she plays with depth and humanity, resulting in Oscar and Bafta nominations. But, once the cameras stop rolling, Pugh is equally passionate and outspoken in her own life, often calling out online bullying and body shaming on social media. But she has a playful side, too. On set for the ELLE Style Awards cover shoot – and slightly hungover – she sips an Aperol Spritz in between takes.
She’s as funny as she is strong-willed, empathetic as she is engaged. With Pugh, there’s no filter. And who better to interview the actor than her friend – and fellow trailblazer – Jodie Turner-Smith? Though neither is able to discuss their films, due to the conversation taking place during the SAG-AFTRA strikes, true friends can talk about anything – and over Zoom (Turner-Smith is on a boat in Croatia; Pugh is in the English countryside) they cover it all, from industry politics to celebrating their bodies…
JODIE TURNER-SMITH: Hi, how are you? I adore you.
FLORENCE PUGH: Hi, baby. I adore you! I’m good. It’s been an interesting summer. I was supposed to work for six months in Atlanta, and it’s all just gone. So I’m adjusting to that. It’s bizarre being this free.
JTS: It’s a strange time. On a lighter note, I would love to talk about how the two of us met…
FP: I remember this more than you! I distinctly remember at the 2020 Baftas at the Royal Albert Hall seeing you, and you’re wearing this big, beautiful yellow dress with your wonderful baby bump. You gave me a little wry smile. I gave you a wry little wave. I didn’t sleep: I was celebrating with my friends and went straight to the airport the next morning. You were in the queue ahead of me with your husband and you laughed because I had the same hairdo you’d seen a few hours before. That’s where we met. When you hosted the British Fashion Awards [in 2022], I thought, ‘Oh, no, she won’t remember me…’
JTS: That’s hilarious. In my defence, I was heavily pregnant in 2020. But I remember it – I was with Naomi Ackie, you came over, and I remember thinking you had such down-to-earth energy. How do you feel about bringing yourself into all of this that we do?
FP: Having people that can take the p*ss out of me around me keeps me very real. It’s easy, in this industry, to go down the slippery slope of only being around people who compliment you. Knowing who I am – and who I’ve been from the very beginning – has allowed me to feel safe. There’s no grand reveal – it’s just me. Even in my style, I never wanted there to be a filter.
JTS: What would you say your personal style is?
FP: My friends always laugh when I’m getting ready and I say, ‘I don’t know what to wear. I don’t have any clothes,’ because I have so many clothes. I think what I’m actually saying is, ‘Who do I want to be today?’ I have so many versions of myself that I want to show.
JTS: I completely agree. My number-one thing when I’m dressing for the red carpet is having fun. There is a legion of women who live inside me, and each of them wants to express themselves at different times.
FP: And there’s been a big excitement to go all out recently. Red carpets haven’t been this crazy in a long time! Young designers, people like Harris Reed, are like, ‘Why don’t we just look amazing and ridiculous for a night?’ People were so excited to wear his hats.
JTS: Harris’ clothing always feels like a celebration of the body, know what I mean?
And whether it’s the female body, or the male body, or the non-binary, gender-fluid body, it’s always a celebration.
FP: Some of my proudest moments of embracing my body have been in Pierpaolo [Piccioli’s] gowns. Every single time I step out in Valentino, it’s like my armour.
JTS: Would you say your style has evolved?
FP: I think I’ve always been interested in wearing loud clothing. When I was a teenager, I would buy the most outrageous things and sew them together. I’ve always loved colour. I’ve always wanted to be bold and make a bit of a scene – I don’t think that’s gone away. When I first started doing red carpets, it was really tough. It takes ages to feel comfortable with 50 men all shouting, ‘Picture, over here!’ I’ve become more confident in the last few years, and I think that’s hugely linked to the clothes I’ve been wearing. The more you can enjoy it, the more [people] can see that you’re enjoying it.
JTS: That inadvertently sort of leads into my next question… You’ve spoken out about people scrutinising your body. What is it that you want people to know about accepting and embracing their own bodies?
FP: I speak the way I do about my body because I’m not trying to hide the cellulite on my thigh or the squidge in between my arm and my boob: I would much rather lay it all out. I think the scariest thing for me are the instances where people have been upset that I’ve shown ‘too much’ of myself. When everything went down with the Valentino pink dress a year ago, my nipples were on display through a piece of fabric, and it really wound people up. It’s the freedom that people are scared of; the fact I’m comfortable and happy. Keeping women down by commenting on their bodies has worked for a very long time. I think we’re in this swing now where lots of people are saying, ‘I don’t give a shit.’ Unfortunately, we’ve become so terrified of the human body that we can’t even look at my two little cute nipples behind fabric in a way that isn’t sexual. We need to keep reminding everybody that there is more than one reason for women’s bodies [to exist].
JTS: Exactly. When I was pregnant, I wanted to celebrate pregnancy – it’s a beautiful process to go through. For that yellow dress you mentioned, I told Alessandro Michele and the team at Gucci, ‘I need these pregnancy tits to have their moment!’ Your tits will never look as good as they do when you’re pregnant. So I believe in celebrating the breast!
FP: When I wore the [sheer] dresses, every woman I walked past would say, ‘You look like you’re having so much fun.’ And I was!
JTS: You were!
FP: Women were drawn to the fact that I was completely happy. That’s been a massive aspect of my career and my life: accepting who I am, and not running away from it.
This shoot and interview were conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strikes began.
This interview appears in the October ELLE UK issue.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANNY KASIRYE; STYLED BY JENNY KENNEDY; INTRODUCTION BY SHANNON MAHANTY
