Florence Pugh on Joining Marvel: So Many Indie Film People Were Mad at Me

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Florence Pugh on Joining Marvel: So Many Indie Film People Were Mad at Me

Florence Pugh is one of the rare movie stars who divides her time between giant superhero tentpoles and small independent dramas. However, many in the indie film community were upset with Pugh for joining Marvel.

Why Were Indie Film People Mad at Florence Pugh for Joining Marvel?

Pugh signed on to play Yelena Belova, the highly-trained assassin and sister to Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), in April 2019. She made her MCU debut in 2021’s Black Widow. Now, Pugh has shared how this decision was met with blowback from members of the independent film world.

“So many people in the indie film world were really pissed off at me. They were like, ‘Great, now she’s gone forever,’” Pugh told Time. “And I’m like, no, I’m working as hard as I used to work. I’ve always done back-to-back movies. It’s just people are watching them now. You just have to be a bit more organized with your schedule.”

Since Black Widow, Pugh has bounced back and forth between indie films and blockbusters. In 2022, Pugh starred in mid-budget thriller Don’t Worry Darling and the small Netflix film The Wonder. In 2023, Pugh appeared in the independent drama A Good Person and will star in two upcoming big-budget films: Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two.

After starring in Black Widow and appearing in three episodes of Hawkeye, Pugh will return as Yelena in Thunderbolts, Marvel’s version of an antihero team-up movie. The Phase Five film is expected to begin filming this summer, with a scheduled release date of July 26, 2024.