“Totally terrified”: Florence Pugh’s finest hour and why she didn’t think she belonged
There isn’t a single actor in Hollywood who hasn’t experienced imposter syndrome at some point in their career, and Florence Pugh is no exception.
Despite the fact that one of her earliest roles saw her lead the indie psychological thriller Lady Macbeth to acclaim, even winning her the British Independent Film Award for ‘Best Actress’, she still felt doubts within herself as she continued to climb the industry’s ranks. Only a few years before, she’d made her debut in the film The Falling while still studying in sixth form, and now she was an award-winner, thrust into the spotlight as she entered adulthood.
Those early years of adulthood are never easy, but to navigate them while also navigating an industry as terrifying as Hollywood was a completely different kettle of fish. Pugh moved between American and British productions for a few years, but she really hadn’t been in that many films when, just like that, she found herself alongside some huge names in an adaptation of Little Women.
Only a year before she was cast, she’d signed on to the British film Fighting with My Family, directed by Stephen Merchant – all of a sudden, she was set to star in one of the most anticipated productions in Hollywood.
2019 was a big year for the actor. Not only did Fighting with My Family finally hit cinemas, but, more importantly, Little Women and Midsommar were released. These films would establish Pugh as a star –there was no going back. But, instead of revelling in these opportunities, she couldn’t help but feel anxious, though, and she admitted to Teen Vogue that she was “totally terrified” about starring in something as big as Little Women.
“Not only was it Little Women, but it was also Greta Gerwig, and not only was it Greta Gerwig, it was Saoirse Ronan, and, you know, Meryl Streep, and Eliza Scanlen, and Emma Watson. I didn’t think I belonged there,” she said.
The imposter syndrome really kicked in for Pugh, who didn’t feel like she was experienced enough to star alongside such impressive actors. She was only 22 when production began, and she was tasked with the difficulty of playing Amy March, who starts off 12 and ages into adulthood over the course of the film. Clearly, Gerwig knew that Pugh had what it took to play a character who spanned ages and maturity, but still, Pugh wasn’t convinced that she belonged in a movie that also featured someone as iconic as Streep.
It’s something that the actor has long struggled with, adding, “Funnily enough, no matter how many big films I do, I’ve never felt like I’m supposed to be there, and that I’m pretty lucky to be there. But yeah, I think with anything that has a huge name to it, and a huge history to it, you have to be fair, and people aren’t necessarily always gonna like it.”
Soon after the success of Little Women, which earned her an Academy Award nomination, she bagged the role of Yelena in Marvel’s Black Widow, catapulting her to even greater stardom. With more appearances in the MCU, the Dune franchise, and the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, there’s surely no way that Pugh has any imposter syndrome now.
