English actress Florence Pugh has fast become one of the most prolific and studio-sought A-listers on the Hollywood map, and for good reason. Like Meryl Streep, she can not only function well in any genre, with any type of character, but far more often than not she’s the very best part of the film in which she’s featured. In just over 10 years, Pugh has proved herself to be quite possibly the most talented performer of her generation, and even when the project surrounding her falls short (basically just Don’t Worry Darling) she manages to make it something worth watching.
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Pugh’s first film was The Falling in 2014, in which she co-starred with Game of Thrones‘ Maisie Williams. And, while that film didn’t make the cut, nor did The Commuter, Outlaw King, and The Wonder, all of them are worth watching at least once. And don’t forget, she’s making her MCU return come May when Thunderbolts* opens, her first time starring as Yelena Belova since 2021’s Black Widow and Hawkeye.
Lady Macbeth
In just her second feature film, Pugh went from supporting player to lead star, and she didn’t disappoint. Critics liked the movie as a whole, but the main focus of the accolades was without a doubt her performance.
She plays Katherine Lester, a young woman married to an older man, Alexander. But it wasn’t a marriage born of choice, as she was sold by her father, and as she’s grown increasingly unhappy, she’s also grown increasingly attracted to a man her age who works on her husband’s estate. Katherine kills her father and then Alexander, at which point her lover pretends to be the head of the estate. But, to keep the ruse going, some other inquisitive minds may need to be taken out as well.
Stream Lady Macbeth on STARZ.
Fighting With My Family
Dwayne Johnson’s highest rated live-action movie was also early proof that Pugh could lead a project. Fighting with My Family was an important step in her career, as it was the first of her films to receive a wide release outside her bit role in the Liam Neeson-fronted The Commuter. Within five years of making her movie debut, she was a leading lady and, like with Jim Carrey’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective in 1994, it was just the first of three profile-expanders in a single year.
The film tells the story of real-life professional wrestler Paige, who along with her brother enters a contest to become an official WWE wrestler. It’s a sweet-natured story laced with equally sweet performances and it’s Pugh who holds it all together. It’s one of those movies where you may not personally identify with the family and their utter devotion to the ring, but you can understand, believe, and even feel their love for one another.
Rent Fighting with My Family on Amazon Video.
Midsommar
A horror movie that made more than a handful of people physically ill, A24’s Midsommar is a gripping and truly surprising effort from Ari Aster that fits in nicely with his equally devastating Hereditary. It’s the scariest movie about cults since The Wicker Man, and it may very well hold the title of the scariest movie about cults.
Pugh is sublime as Dani, who is traumatized after her sister kills their parents and herself via an intentional carbon monoxide leak. Her boyfriend suggests she join him and his friends to attend a midsummer festival in Sweden. But, unfortunately for them, all others attending the festival have less than hospitable intentions. Though, throughout the process, Dani may feel as though she’s found a new home and a new purpose.
Rent Midsommar on Amazon Video.
Little Women
Little Women was the movie that nabbed Pugh her first, and thus far only, Academy Award nomination. Naturally, there will almost certainly be more in the future. And she wasn’t alone, as Saoirse Ronan was also nominated, just as the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and won for Best Costume Design.
The film follows the March sisters, Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Ronan), Beth (Eliza Scanlen), and Amy (Pugh). Their father is away at war, and they learn to sustain themselves and, hopefully, find love in the process.
Rent Little Women on Amazon Video.
Black Widow
It was far from easy to find a replacement for Scarlett Johansson in the MCU after her death in Avengers: Endgame, but there was no better possible choice than Pugh. Black Widow is one of the MCU’s most underrated movies, with a solid if underdeveloped secondary villain in Taskmaster and an exciting prison break sequence. But what really elevates it is its focus on character.
Furthermore, all of the main players were perfect for their respective roles. David Harbour is a hoot as Alexei Shostakov a.k.a. Red Guardian, Rachel Weisz brings a tenderness to Melina Vostokoff, and Pugh brings a stern complexity to Yelena Belova. Outside Natasha Romanoff, the film belongs to Belova, whose chemistry with the title character is utterly believable and, once the “Snap” happens, ultimately led to a pretty compelling place in Hawkeye. It will be interesting to see how much of its narrative is continued in Thunderbolts*.
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Stream Black Widow on Disney+.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish didn’t just help keep the Shrek franchise alive while Shrek 5 was getting worked out, it gave the IP one of its best installments to date. Pugh is clearly having a ball as Goldilocks, who in this film is actually the leader of a crime family (with the other members of that family being the Three Bears). But Pugh isn’t alone in terms of being well-cast, as What We Do in the Shadows‘ Harvey Guillรฉn and John Mulaney are also terrific in their roles.
The narrative again follows Antonio Banderas’ title character and Salma Hayek’s Kitty Softpaws, who team up with Guillรฉn’s little Chihuahua Perrito to find the Wishing Star and its Last Wish. It’s essentially the fountain of youth for fantasyland kitty cats, and it’s needed now more than ever, as Puss in Boots is on his last of nine legs.
Stream Puss in Boots: The Last Wish on Prime Video.
Oppenheimer
Quite possibly Christopher Nolan’s best film to date, the Academy Award for Best Picture-winning Oppenheimer is a visually stunning and thematically stirring epic that stands as one of the best biopics to date. Everyone is brilliant in their roles, particularly Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., and Emily Blunt, but there’s still plenty for Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, and Pugh to do.
Pugh has an integral role as Jean Tatlock, a psychiatrist Robert J. Oppenheimer meets at a Communist gathering. As the years progress, after Robert is married to Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, he and Tatlock continue to intermittently link up. Unfortunately, suffering from clinical depression and in love with her married lover, Tatlock ultimately takes her own life.
Stream Oppenheimer on Prime Video.
The Boy and the Heron
Another winner from Studio Ghibli, The Boy and the Heron is like the studio’s other films in that it was subsequently released in the United States with English-speaking actors stepping in for the Japanese actors who originally inhabited their roles. In this case, Robert Pattinson plays the titular heron, while The Boys‘ Karen Fukuhara, Eternals‘ Gemma Chan, Star Wars’ Mark Hamill, and others play supporting roles. There’s also Pugh, who voices Kiriko, a maid employed by the protagonist’s father and aunt turned step-mother.
The narrative follows Mahito Maki, a boy who relocates to the countryside after his mother passes away. He finds himself drawn to a tower near his new home and is led inside by a talking heron for a magical adventure. The film is actually semi-autobiographical, with director Hayao Miyazaki pulling from events of his own life.
Stream The Boy and the Heron on Max.
Dune: Part Two
A major player throughout the 2025 awards season, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two manages to exceed the quality of its already-impressive predecessor just as it greatly exceeded that 2021 film’s worldwide gross. One of the better sci-fi films in recent memory, Part Two is both grandiose and utterly character-focused. It even manages to expand the first film’s cast list without sacrificing any of the attention to what matters.
As for the newcomers, most of them get proper screentime to feel like true presences. This is particularly true of Austin Butler and Pugh. The latter plays Princess Irulan, the daughter of Emperor Shaddam IV whose hand in marriage may be exactly what it takes to prevent all-out war.
Stream Dune: Part Two on Max.
We Live in Time
A24 is known for releasing terrific, smaller films, and with that independent distributor Pugh has found great success. The most recent example is We Live in Time, which pairs her with The Amazing Spider-Man himself, Andrew Garfield. One of A24’s highest-grossing movies worldwide, We Live in Time was also praised by critics for its balanced tone and chemistry between the stars.
Pugh stars as Almut Brรผhl, who accidentally hits Garfield’s Tobias Durand with her car. Told in a non-linear fashion, the movie shows audiences their budding romance, the birth of their child and, ultimately, Almut’s fight with cancer.
Stream We Live in Time on Max.
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