Florence Pugh Shuts Down 'Weird' Rumors About Why She Shaved Her Head forWe Live in TimeRole

Mar. 15, 2025

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

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Florence Pughis opening up about the why she chose to shave her head for her new film,We Live in Time.Speaking withVanity Fairin an interview published on Thursday, Sept. 5, the actress, 28, explained why she decided toshave her headto immerse herself in her role as Almut, a chef who, at a point in the plot, is diagnosed with cancer and undergoes treatment.Per the article, director John Crowley told Pugh that wigs and other hairpieces were options — but she was adamant about fully committing to her character’s journey with a real-life transformation.“I just stopped him mid-sentence and I was like, ‘John, no one can play a character like this in a movie like this and not do the thing that is needed to be done,’ " she said. “And if you don’t want to do it, I believe that you shouldn’t be doing a story like this.”Pugh debuted her buzz cut at the2023 Met Galaand her clean-shaven head, which she accessorized with a towering headpiece, was subject to commentary online.“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 statement of the sort in her “entire life.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Florence Pugh at the 2023 Met Gala.Dimitrios Kambouris/GettyIn July of that year, theOppenheimerstar toldRadio Times(per theDaily Mail) that she “wanted vanity out of the picture" when it came to her haircut.“Hollywood is very glamorous — especially for women — and it’s hard for an audience to see past that,” Pugh said. “Whenever I’ve not needed to be glam or have a full face of makeup, I fight to keep it that way. It helps the audience."“Even at the beginning of my career, I was always fighting to control my image,” she added. “It helps me when I’m wearing less makeup because then I’m less of a sparkly thing on screen. I feel like I’m allowed to do ugly faces, like it’s more acceptable.”We Live in Time, also starringAndrew Garfield, will premiere in theaters on Oct. 11.The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Florence Pughis opening up about the why she chose to shave her head for her new film,We Live in Time.

Speaking withVanity Fairin an interview published on Thursday, Sept. 5, the actress, 28, explained why she decided toshave her headto immerse herself in her role as Almut, a chef who, at a point in the plot, is diagnosed with cancer and undergoes treatment.

Per the article, director John Crowley told Pugh that wigs and other hairpieces were options — but she was adamant about fully committing to her character’s journey with a real-life transformation.

“I just stopped him mid-sentence and I was like, ‘John, no one can play a character like this in a movie like this and not do the thing that is needed to be done,’ " she said. “And if you don’t want to do it, I believe that you shouldn’t be doing a story like this.”

Pugh debuted her buzz cut at the2023 Met Galaand her clean-shaven head, which she accessorized with a towering headpiece, was subject to commentary online.

“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 statement of the sort in her “entire life.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Florence Pugh at the 2023 Met Gala.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

In July of that year, theOppenheimerstar toldRadio Times(per theDaily Mail) that she “wanted vanity out of the picture" when it came to her haircut.

“Hollywood is very glamorous — especially for women — and it’s hard for an audience to see past that,” Pugh said. “Whenever I’ve not needed to be glam or have a full face of makeup, I fight to keep it that way. It helps the audience."

“Even at the beginning of my career, I was always fighting to control my image,” she added. “It helps me when I’m wearing less makeup because then I’m less of a sparkly thing on screen. I feel like I’m allowed to do ugly faces, like it’s more acceptable.”

We Live in Time, also starringAndrew Garfield, will premiere in theaters on Oct. 11.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

source: people.com