Florence Pugh Says Shaving Her Head forWe Live in TimeCaused 'Trauma' on Her Body: 'It Was Really Bizarre'

Mar. 15, 2025

Florence Pugh.Photo:Marleen Moise/Getty; A24/YouTube

Florence Pugh in We Live In Time

Marleen Moise/Getty; A24/YouTube

Florence Pughis revealing the “trauma” she experienced after shaving her head for a role.

In an interview withBritish Voguereleased on Wednesday, Sept. 18, the 28-year-old British actress opened up about the decision to cut her hair for her upcoming film,We Live in Time.In the romantic drama, which also starsAndrew Garfield, Pugh plays Almut, a chef who is diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer.

“[Shaving] it was really bizarre," the actress told the outlet. “My head was so sensitive and so many people were trying to touch it and it was so alive.”

Pugh also shared that her “body went into a bit of trauma from it,” adding: “I was cold all the time.”

TheOppenheimeractress explained why the decision to shave her head was so important to her.

“For any actor taking a role like this, it is completely important that you see her head and we see her shaving it — it was just always a no-brainer,” she said. “You have the honor of doing something to yourself that is totally in support of the character.”

Ahead of theToronto International Film Festivalpremiere ofWe Live in Timeon Friday, Sept. 6, director John Crowley told PEOPLE exclusively thathe was “stunned“ Pugh shaved her headfor the role.

The director, 55, said that before Pugh committed to the cut, he brainstormed ways to give her a shaved-head look with the hair and makeup department.

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Florence Pugh at Toronto Film Festival, Sept. 6, 2024.Robin Marchant/Getty

Florence Pugh

Robin Marchant/Getty

“I did not make an argument for her to not do that. I was stunned because I knew she was going to go off and do a Marvel movie and we slotted right into a window because her Marvel movie just shunted back a little bit,” he continued, referring toPugh’s role as Yelena Belovain the MCU.

Crowley added, “So she’s fearless, Florence, and really committed.”

Florence Pugh at the 2023 Met Gala.Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Florence Pugh attends The 2023 Met Gala Celebrating “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 01, 2023 in New York City.

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Pughdebuted her shaved lookat the 2023 Met Gala, where she also wore a towering headpiece.

In an interview withVanity Fairpublished on Thursday, Sept. 5, the actress spoke about the scrutiny she faced for the look.

“I think there was this weird rumor on the internet saying that I did it to take back my identity,” Pugh recalled reading, though she’d never claimed any similar statement in her “entire life.”

We Live in Timepremieres in theaters on Oct. 11.

source: people.com