Join Now

Want news that’s as fresh as your morning coffee? Join our community and stay in the know!

Florence Pugh Was ‘Committed’ to Shaving Head for ‘We Live in Time’ (Exclusive)

Date:

Share:

Florence Pugh’s preparation for We Live in Time demonstrated her commitment to the role, according to director John Crowley.

Crowley, 55, exclusively told PEOPLE after the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of their film on Friday, Sept. 6, that he was “stunned“ Pugh, 28, shaved her head for her role as Almut, who is diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer at one point in We Live in Time.

The director admits he had considered options for how to give Pugh a shaved head look — but the Midsommar actress had a different idea.

“Before I went to meet [Pugh], I, being conscientious, went to my fabulous hair and makeup lady and said, ‘Look, how do we do this? Because if you can’t shave it, what do you do?’ ” Crowley recalls. “So I had all of my sort of less good ways of doing it in mind, but before I even got to say anything about any of that, she was, ‘I’m shaving my head by the way.’ “

Florence Pugh at TIFF on Sept. 6, 2024.

Robin Marchant/Getty 


Crowley appeared surprised by the Little Women star’s choice.

“I did not make an argument for her to not do that. I was stunned because I knew she was going to go off and do a Marvel movie and we slotted right into a window because her Marvel movie just shunted back a little bit,” he says, referring to Pugh’s role as Yelena Belova the MCU.

“So she’s fearless, Florence, and really committed,” he adds.

Crowley also spoke about the chemistry between Pugh and her We Live in Time costar, Andrew Garfield, saying it can be “a tricky thing to pin down.”

‘We Live in Time’ movie poster.

A24


“They didn’t know each other, they’re quite different kinds of actors, but on day two of rehearsals, I began to see flashes of lightning in a bottle, as it were, and it began to get very exciting,” he remembers.

“And I think what it was was that they would just fall into each other’s presence,” Crowley continues. “That sounds mystical, but actually it was about the level of connection between the two of them.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Joe Naftalin, Guy Heeley, Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, John Crowley, Leah Clarke, Adam Ackland and Ron Halpern at the ‘We Live in Time’ premiere on Sept. 6, 2024.

Emma McIntyre/Getty


According to an official synopsis for the movie, “Almut and Tobias [Garfield] are brought together in a surprise encounter that changes their lives. As they embark on a path challenged by the limits of time, they learn to cherish each moment of the unconventional route their love story has taken, in filmmaker John Crowley’s decade-spanning, deeply moving romance.”

We Live in Time premieres in U.S. theaters on Oct. 11.

Unmatched Baby Essentials

baby

━ more like this

Humanities education is in trouble in the state of Florida. We need a shift in culture

I’ve always known my educational goals: enroll in college as a humanities major, explore the literature I love and eventually attend law school. I’m...

Pentagon moves to take back troops booted for refusing COVID vaccine

The Defense Department has told the military services to reach out once again to service members who were forced out or voluntarily left the...

Black Hawk crew in DC crash may have missed key air traffic messages

A U.S. Army Black Hawk crew may not have heard critical air traffic control messages instructing it to fly behind the commercial regional jet...

Pentagon officials are bracing for Musk’s DOGE

Few would deny that the Defense Department, with its $886 billion budget and byzantine ways, could be run more efficiently. Many have called for...

Trump administration fires hundreds of nuclear-security employees, sources say

Hundreds of new employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were terminated Thursday evening, according to agency employees who were not authorized to speak on...

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here