“It’s the first time ever in my career when I’ve actually asked for a summer break,” Pugh admitted. “I’m an absolute work maniac, but I can see I’m exhausted. I suddenly woke up last year and realized how much of my life I’d missed. Yes, I want to have a career forever, but that’s not going to happen if I work myself into the ground.”
After her time off, Pugh has returned energized and recently attended the Toronto International Film Festival for the world premiere of "We Live in Time," where she stars alongside Andrew Garfield. The film, directed by John Crowley, follows a chef (played by Pugh) who falls in love with a man (Garfield) she accidentally hits with her car. The story unfolds in a non-chronological order, beginning with Pugh's character receiving a cancer diagnosis. For this role, Pugh shaved her head on camera.
“For any actor taking a role like this, it’s crucial to see her head and to show her shaving it—it was always a no-brainer,” Pugh said. “You have the honor of doing something to yourself that fully supports the character.”
Pugh described the experience of shaving her head as surreal and emotionally intense. “In many religions, hair is seen as the most precious part of the body, where memories and dreams are stored,” she noted. “Shaving it was really bizarre. My head was so sensitive, and so many people wanted to touch it. My body went into a bit of trauma from it. I was cold all the time.”
Pugh’s commitment to her roles is evident from her past performances. Last year, she mentioned on the “Off Menu” podcast that she pushed herself to extremes while preparing for her role in Ari Aster’s horror film "Midsommar." As Dani, a grieving psychology student, Pugh immersed herself deeply in the character’s pain. “When I did it, I was so wrapped up in her,” she recalled. “I had never played someone in that much pain before, and I would put myself in really tough situations that maybe other actors wouldn’t need to, just to imagine the worst things.”
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