Note: Florence Pugh also won this year’s Muriel Awards for Outstanding Cinematic Breakthrough and Outstanding Body of Work, given for not only her performance in Little Women but also in Midsommar and Fighting With My Family. The following essay touches on all three performances for this reason.
“After shooting Park-Chan Wook’s limited series Little Drummer Girl, Florence Pugh was planning on taking a break. After her breakout performance in Lady Macbeth she immediately went from shooting Fighting With My Family (though its release would be delayed), to Outlaw King, to King Lear, to The Little Drummer Girl, and was ready for some time off. But then her agent called with the script for Midsommar, which she felt was too great to turn down. Then, during pre-production for that, Pugh met with Greta Gerwig who immediately cast her as Amy in Little Women, even though the productions would overlap (Pugh missed out on rehearsals for Women). This marathon schedule resulted in Florence Pugh beginning 2019 as a well-respected - if little known - indie actress, to entering 2020 as an Oscar nominee. What makes Pugh’s 2019 feel especially revelatory is not just how different each role is externally (goth wrestler, trauma victim, March sister), but the spectrum of emotions each role demanded internally.
“Shot in 2017, Fighting With My Family had its premiere at the 2019 Sundance in January and was released in mid-February. Florence Pugh plays WWE wrestler Paige in this rags-to-riches sports biopic produced by The Rock and directed by his Tooth Fairy co-star, Stephen Merchant. In the film Pugh expresses the emotional beats of outshining her mentor/brother in the ring, nails the comedic dialog of Office co-creator Merchant’s script, and conveys the physicality of Paige’s wrestling prowess. The best scenes are those between Paige, as she’s training for the WWE, and her brother, who is both jealous of her success and annoyed at her self-doubt. Pugh herself comes from a family of performers; her older brother started acting before her and helped her navigate the industry when she was beginning. So there does seem to be a slim bit of mirror between Paige’s life and Pugh’s, which may have informed her characterization. It’s the most modest in terms of ambition and success, but with it Pugh shows she can be a mainstream audience surrogate in a Studio film. She simultaneously grounds the film and elevates it.
“On Pugh’s delightful Instagram account, she comes across as a confident, playful young woman who enjoys taking care of her cactus and life in general. This effervescent persona is a stark contrast to her punishing performance in Ari Aster’s Soap-Operatic Wicker Man riff, Midsommar. We first see Pugh’s face on the verge of tears in a glassy eyed close-up, and the film ends on another close up of her with a triumphant smile. Between the two images, she must cope with the trauma of losing her family, and the burden of carrying the emotional labor in a dead-shark relationship. Pugh keeps Dani on the precipice of stability for the entire film. In her relationship she choreographs an awkward dance, calling out bad behavior (you forget my birthday) then instantly taking on blame (it’s my fault, I didn’t remind you) because she feels that she would be completely untethered without the sliver of support he provides. Aster’s script requires that you not only understand why Dani remains in the relationship, but why she ultimately chooses a violent cult over it. Pugh keeps the audience on her side throughout the journey.
“Following Midsommar, Pugh closed out 2019 with Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. In previous adaptations (and the novel itself I’m told), Amy is easy to dislike. Jo is the heroine you root for; Amy is the bratty little girl. She who burns Jo’s writing. She ends up with Laurie, who is obviously meant for Jo. Gerwig’s version is more empathetic to Amy, and lifts her up to an almost co-lead status. While Pugh’s raspy voice (a side-effect of a tracheal condition she had as a child) can make it hard to accept her as a 13 year old, her childish cadence and looser physicality help provide enough distance between the adolescent and the young adult Amys. Pugh is also tasked with giving the film’s statement of purpose. Meryl Streep wanted Gerwig to remind audiences of why someone like Amy would seek to marry for financial gain. Pugh imparts Amy’s somewhat didactic speech with a deeply felt passion that turns what could be a thesis statement into a moment of strength. When she gives the speech, Laurie stops seeing her as a frivolous child. Unlike other versions, he doesn’t seem to fall for Amy because he can’t have Jo, but because Amy herself has grown into an intelligent, strong woman.
“Evolving into a person whose individual strength helps strengthen her relationships within a chosen family is a connecting theme through Florence Pugh’s otherwise disparate 2019 roles. Following her MCU debut in this Spring’s Black Widow, Pugh is taking her first real break since Lady Macbeth’s release in 2016. When Pugh decides to return, it will be interesting to see which family chooses next.” ~ Kevin Cecil
Outstanding Cinematic Breakthrough – The Finalists:
1. Florence Pugh (actor - Little Women, Midsommar, Fighting With My Family) [119/17]
2. Julia Fox (actor - Uncut Gems) [62/11]
3. Mati Diop (director – Atlantics) [54/9]
4. Lulu Wang (director - The Farewell) [38/6]
5. Olivia Wilde (director - Booksmart) [32/6]
Outstanding Body of Work – The Finalists:
1. Florence Pugh (actor - Little Women, Midsommar, Fighting With My Family) [180/25]
2. Brad Pitt (actor - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Ad Astra; producer - The Last Black Man in San Francisco) [128/20]
3. Adam Driver (actor - Marriage Story, The Report, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, The Dead Don’t Die) [113/18]
4. Laura Dern (actor - Marriage Story, Little Women, Cold Pursuit) [71/12]
5. Robert Pattinson (actor - The Lighthouse, High Life, The King) [61/11]
6. Claire Mathon (cinematographer - Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Atlantics) [61/10]
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