Why Starring In MCU Made Some People “Really Pissed Off” At Florence Pugh

Actress Florence Pugh made her comic book movie debut as Yelena in 2021’s Black Widow, and as it turns out, signing onto that movie led to some people in the filmmaking business to get “really pissed off” at her.

Pugh told Time Magazine that “so many people” in the indie film world were “really pissed off” at her when she made Black Widow. Before Black Widow, Pugh starred in mainly smaller-scale films, and her peers in the space apparently didn’t think she would ever come back.

“They were like, ‘Great, now she’s gone forever,'” Pugh said. “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 them now. You just have to be a bit more organized with your schedule.”

Pugh previously discussed how “lots of people” from the indie movie world told her she would never go back to small movies again, a comment that she said “wound her up.” Pugh said she finds “beauty” in all types of films, from small, indie films to large-scale blockbusters.

“They’re amazing, mega movies. And then there’s also beauty in all these little ones that not everyone is going to see, but are going to affect the right person at the right time. I’ve never, ever only thought that I was going to just do one type of movie. I’ve always known that I want to dabble in all areas,” Pugh said.

Pugh returned as Yelena for Hawkeye and is coming back again for the movie Thunderbolts alongside Harrison Ford. Pugh isn’t abandoning smaller-scale movies, as she starred in 2022’s The Wonder and A Good Person this year. In terms of upcoming projects, Pugh has Dune: Part Two and Oppenheimer on her schedule for 2023, before Thunderbolts in 2024.