Florence Pugh's Best Performances, From Her Breakthrough in 'Lady Macbeth' to 'Black Widow'

Florence Pugh continues to prove that she is one of the most promising young actresses of her time.

From her debut as Abbie Mortimer in The Falling in 2014 to her Academy Award nomination in 2020 for her performance as Amy March in Little Women, British actress Florence Pugh has enjoyed a remarkable career over the past few years. Has been extremely prolific and incredibly accomplished in , and it doesn't look like she's going to stop anytime soon.

Pugh most recently starred in last year's film Don't Worry Honey, alongside Harry Styles, Gemma Chan, Chris Pine, KiKi Layne, and voiced Goldilocks in the 2011 film's sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish . In 2023, she will star in Zach Braff's The Good Guys and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which has an all-star cast including Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and La Mi Malek.

With so many projects waiting for her, let's take a look at some of Florence Pugh's best performances that have made her one of the most promising rising stars in Hollywood today.

Katherine Lester in Lady Macbeth (2016)

Based on Nikolai Leskov's Lady Macbeth from the Mtsensk district novella, this 2016 drama adaptation is set in 19th-century England and follows Catherine Lester (Pugh) who fell into a loveless marriage with a man twice her age. as her husband, Alexander Lester had to leave due to business, and Catherine stayed at home with her maid Anna. This gave Catherine the freedom to explore the estate properly.

Pugh's ability to portray a character clearly dissatisfied with her colorless life led critics to define this as her breakthrough role. She is able to convey her emotions through her eyes, whether it is happiness, anger, despair or a spark of calm. For the longest time, her rage has been repressed, and once it finally erupts, one can see—and even feel—all that surges through Catherine, thanks also to Ari Wegner. Wegner's careful and conscious handling of Catherine's close-ups. The accolades Pugh received for this performance came as no surprise.

Elizabeth de Burgh in Outlaw King (2018)

The 2018 historical film about 14th-century Scottish King Robert the Bruce starring Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Pugh as Bruce's wife, Elizabeth De Berg. Directed by David Mackenzie, this Netflix film follows the life of Bruce, who became an outlaw after rebelling against King Edward I and his rule in Scotland.

At this point, Pugh was already gaining attention for his previous projects, and this one The role further pushed her onto the radar. While not the lead character -- despite mixed reviews due to certain historical inaccuracies and the overall script -- Pugh has been praised for his captivating and powerful performance.

Saraya "Paige" Knight in Fighting with My Family (2019)

This 2019 British comedy film directed by Stephen Merchant is based on the life and career of retired professional wrestler Saraya "Paige" Knight. The film follows Pugh and her brother Zak as they grew up following in their parents' footsteps as wrestlers. The siblings joined WWE and were evaluated by Hutch Morgan, who later chose Paige for training and forced Zak to return home. After Zak left, Paige found herself alone, having to work with other trainees who were mostly models, and faced the challenge of learning her abilities as a professional wrestler.

Pugh's mostly serious roles prior to Fighting with My Family had already proven her acting skills very well in the drama department. However, the movie shows that she can also play a comedic role that still has a dramatic element. It certainly introduces further the range of Pugh and demonstrates that Regardless of genre, she can play different roles.

Dani Ardor in Midsommar (2019)

This folk horror film was written and directed by Ari Aster, who also directed the critically acclaimed Hereditary, about a group of friends who travel to Sweden for Midsummer Festival. Pugh stars as Dani Ardor, who is deeply traumatized after losing her sister and parents to murder-suicide and has a rocky relationship with her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor). When Dani confronts Christian about the trip to Sweden, Christian feels guilty and decides to invite her. However, when they finally reach their destination, they soon discover that things in the commune are not what they seem.

Pugh is no stranger to playing characters with troubling pasts, but this particular role won plenty of praise from critics due to her disturbing take on Dani. From the very beginning, Dany is clearly dissatisfied with her life, especially when she learns of the tragic fate of her family. Pugh knows how to bring to life a character out of touch with reality, making it known through the way she moves and speaks. Pawel Pogorzelski's eerie cinematography elevates her performance to serve As a core element of the psychological daytime horror film.

Amy March in Little Women (2019)

It looks like 2019 is sure to be Pugh's year, as after her critically acclaimed role in Midsommar, she once again proved herself as Amy March in the coming-of-age drama Little Women. The seventh film, directed and written by Greta Gerwig, is based on Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel of the same name and follows Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy Marie. The lives of the four Qi sisters, each with a different personality. Amy, the youngest of the March sisters, is a spoiled child who is often jealous of Jo. However, in later life, she became an eloquent and artistic woman, always striving to be perfect according to the requirements of society.

Amy may have been a challenge playing both a child and an adult, but Pugh handles the task with ease, a testament to her commitment to the character. Her portrayal of Amy allows people to understand the character more empathetically, and it can be annoying for them to see Amy, but at the end of the day, she's just a wannabe Feeling included and seen by those she loves. Pugh's performance captured hearts and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the 92nd Academy Awards.

Yelena Belova in Black Widow (2021) and Hawkeye (2021)

In her Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut, Pugh landed the action role of Yelena Belova in the highly anticipated film Black Widow. Indie film star Scarlett Johansson returns as Natasha Romanoff, the titular character who is Yelena's older sister. Like Natasha, Yelena was also trained in the Red Room, making her an equally skilled assassin. Natasha and Yelena must also help save the other Black Widows from Draykov's (Ray Winstone) ruthless grip as their families reunite and look to cancel Operation Red Room.

Pugh had already made a name for herself in the industry when it was announced that she would play Yelena in Black Widow. She's definitely no stranger to shooting action movies, but Pugh knows how to uniquely and distinctly portray her different characters, which can also be seen in the Disney+ series Hawkeye, which will be out in late 2021, and Yelena does a special look. puff Doing justice to Yelena and her dark past, her interactions with Johnson create a film that not only centers on the action, but also emphasizes the importance of reconnecting with the past and family.