Florence Pugh recalls feeling 'stupid' when her weight was discussed in a Hollywood meeting
She's a rising Hollywood star – but Florence Pugh has opened up about the darker side of the industry.
In a new interview, the actress, 25, recalled feeling pressure to lose weight early on in her film career.
The star – who was nominated for an Oscar last year for her role in Little Women – revealed that after getting cast in a pilot for Studio City in Los Angeles, she was instructed to slim down.
Speaking to The Sunday Times' Style magazine, she explained: "I was a baby and I thought that was Hollywood.
"And I thought, OK, this is how it works here. This is what they do.
"And then I felt stupid because I thought, well, of course, how could I come to LA and not have expected to have my weight discussed in a meeting?”
Pugh – who got her break in The Falling while still a schoolgirl in Oxford – is next starring alongside Scarlett Johansson in the upcoming Black Widow.
When it came to preparing physically for the role, she was given free rein.
The actress – who is dating 46-year-old Zach Braff – said: “It was up to me. If I wanted to get fit, great. If I didn’t, great.
"How hard I wanted to go was up to me, and how I wanted to look was up to me.”
Pugh recently wished her Scrubs actor boyfriend a happy birthday after receiving criticism for the 21-year age gap in their relationship.
In a post on Instagram, she wrote: "His need to make people laugh and smile is never ending, his constant generosity and love for others is infectious, his creativity and ability to put real and honest words onto the page inspires many and all who’s around him, but above all...his appreciation for life and excitement for LIVING is something I always take note of."
Last year, in an interview with Elle, Pugh insisted that strangers on social media “have no right” to comment on her private life.
The star said: "I have the right to hang out and be with and go out with anyone I want to."
She added: "I’ve always found this part of what people do really bizarre.
"I’m an actor because I like acting and I don’t mind people watching my stuff, but people have no right to educate me on my private life.”
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