Florence Pugh Talks Acting Break And Missing Life

By Britta DeVore | Published

florence pugh

It may have been hard for some of us to notice as she already appeared in one movie and has another set to arrive later this year, but Florence Pugh says she took a break from acting over the summer. Since her feature-length debut in Carol Morley’s The Falling arrived in cinemas a full decade ago, the actress says she’s been moving non-stop and needed to take some time for herself. Taking a step back, the actress explained, “I suddenly woke up last year and I was like, ‘I hate how much of my life I’ve missed,’” leading her to enjoy a brief hiatus over the summer.

Close To Burnout

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A self-described “work maniac,” Florence Pugh said that she was “exhausted” by the time she asked (presumably) her agent for some time off. “[It’s] the first time ever in my career when I’ve actually asked for a summer break,” the Dune: Part Two star said, adding that while she knows she wants to be involved with her work in Hollywood “forever,” she also understood that she was approaching burnout levels. “That’s not going to happen if I work myself into the ground,” the actress noted about her future in the industry.

Off Break And Promoting We Live In Time

While she didn’t reveal what she did during her time away from the sets of Hollywood, Florence Pugh clearly enjoyed some much-needed self-care and is officially back in the trenches promoting her upcoming A24 romance drama, We Live in Time.

The movie, which looks like a real tearjerker from its trailer, recently celebrated its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival to much critical acclaim. Helmed by John Crowley (Brooklyn), Pugh stars opposite Andrew Garfield in a story that begins with Pugh’s character’s cancer diagnosis and jumps back and forth throughout the years of the main characters’ romantic relationship.

Coming Off The Dune High

Meanwhile, Florence Pugh is still likely to be coming off the high of the release of Dune: Part Two earlier this year in which she made her grand debut in the Denis Villeneuve-directed film as Princess Irulan. The movie was one of the biggest box office successes of the year, earning a staggering $711.8 million globally against its $190 million production budget. Perhaps even more thrilling for the Academy Award-nominated actress is that her journey with the fantasy epic doesn’t end there, as she’ll also be part of the next installment.

Ready For Her Marvel Return

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Beyond We Live in Time, Florence Pugh also has another project coming down the pipe, Marvel’s Thunderbolts, which will see her reprise her character, Yelena Belova, who was first introduced in 2021’s Black Widow.

Like all MCU productions, the cast for this one is stacked with a multitude of both returning faces and fresh ones dotting a call sheet that includes Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Harrison Ford, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and more.

Set to round out the studio’s Phase 5, Thunderbolts is expected to crash into cinemas on May 2, 2025, just three months following the arrival of Captain America: Brave New World.

A Hard Working Actress Who Deserved A Break

Florence Pugh Don't Worry Darling

Of course, stepping away from her career for a few months meant that Florence Pugh undoubtedly missed out on a handful of roles. However, with credits piling up over the last years in movies including Little Women, Oppenheimer, A Good Person, and even Olivia Wilde’s flop, Don’t Worry Darling, we’re sure that casting directors are still going to want to add the critically celebrated actress to their next production.

Source: Vogue