Florence Pugh broke out with Lady Macbeth in 2016, and now, as is wont to happen, she is everywhere. She is currently on Netflix, being underutilized in Outlaw King. She will next be seen in The Little Drummer Girl with Alexander Skarsgard, and she is filming Greta Gerwig’s new take on Little Women. And next year, she will have perhaps her biggest moment (stateside), starring in Fighting With My Family, a movie produced by Dwayne Johnson (who also co-stars as “himself”). In the span of a couple years, Florence Pugh went from “who” to everywhere, and now she has The Rock in her corner so world domination is imminent.
If you’ve seen Lady Macbeth—which you should—you know Pugh has the goods. It’s not surprising she is now everywhere, because she is tremendously talented. It reminds me of the sudden rise of Mia Wasikowska, who also came seemingly out of nowhere and was A Thing overnight. I expect “Florence Pugh, the new It Girl” profiles any minutes. It is interesting that, in a post-Movie Star world, the concept of the “It Girl” hasn’t really changed. She’s bright, she’s young, she’s everywhere, you wonder what the fuss is about and if she’ll ever justify the attention. I think Florence Pugh will justify the attention. She is wonderful on screen, even in underwritten roles and weird glorified cameos—hello The Commuter—managing to spark something interesting. And the one-two punch of The Little Drummer Girl and Fighting with My Family, vastly different in style and tone, will go a long way to sealing the deal. The range! people will exclaim. Prestige drama to family comedy! She’s the complete package! Also did I mention she is Rock-approved?
The first trailer for Fighting with My Family dropped yesterday, and it is super cute. Fun, funny, Dwayne Johnson is great, but it rides on Pugh. She plays Saraya-Jade Bevis, aka Paige, a WWE wrestler. I don’t follow professional wrestling, but I remember seeing a news item when she retired from competition recently, so she must be a big deal. And her story caught Johnson’s attention, as he is producing this movie. By the time Fighting with My Family comes out next spring, Pugh will be coming off Drummer Girl, which premieres next week. And then we will see exactly how high her profile can get, and what real estate she claims when she graduates from It Girl to Name Actress.
