Florence Pugh admitted that she 'pissed off' longtime fans of her independent film work when she made the decision to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Per Variety, Pugh revealed to Time Magazine that she received a bit of backlash from the indie film community when she decided to take on the role of Yelena Belova in the MCU's Black Widow. The actress said, "So many people in the indie film world were really pissed off at me. They were like, 'Great now she's gone forever.' And I'm like, no, I'm working as hard as I used to work. I've always done back-to-back movies. It's just people are watching then now. You just have to be a bit more organized with your schedule."
Florence Pugh's Indie Film Career
Pugh started to make waves in the industry when she won acclaim for the independent drama Lady Macbeth, which earned her a British Independent Film Award. She received more international notice when she portrayed professional wrestler Paige in the 2019 film Fighting With Family and for her role in Ari Aster's folk horror film, Midsommar. The actress then took her career to even bigger heights when she was nominated for an Academy Award for playing Amy March in Greta Gerwig's Little Women.
Florance Pugh's Yelena Belova in the MCU
The actress chose a more mainstream project when she began her MCU journey in 2021's Black Widow, playing the sister of Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff. It's a role that she would reprise once again in the Disney+ miniseries Hawkeye, and she will be making an even bigger return as the character in Thunderbolts, which is currently scheduled to be the second-to-last film in Phase Five of the MCU when it hits screens on July 26, 2024.
In a recent interview, Pugh revealed how Yelena's change between Black Widow and Hawkeye excited her about the character. Because of Natasha's death in Avengers: Endgame, Pugh was given free rein to decide how the events would shape Yelena. "I was just so amazed and excited that Cate was like, 'Look, this is yours. It's going to go to you. You're going to continue this character, and you make it essentially whatever you want it to be.' That was just so exciting and thrilling for me," she explained.
Despite taking a role in the MCU, Pugh has continued to do a wide range of roles that bounce between independent films and tentpole releases. She recently led Zach Braff's indie directorial effort, A Good Person, and earned even more critical acclaim for her role in Sebastian Lelio's drama The Wonder. Pugh has also done more studio releases, including Don't Worry Darling and the upcoming highly anticipated films Oppenheimer and Dune: Part Two.
Source: Time Magazine via Variety