Florence Pugh, star of John Crowley’s We Live in Time, shares how the film impacted her personal life, encouraging her to be more proactive in finding love.
Pugh told British Vogue, “Watching this movie makes me want to be active in my decisions and actually live.”
The romance drama, co-starring Andrew Garfield, explores a British couple’s medical crisis.
The Hollywood Reporter praised the film’s “unflinchingly honest take on mortality” and “transcendently life-affirming” tone.
Pugh, 28, reflected, “I was at the right age for this movie to land. I was going through a lot of weird stuff with relationships last year, and I think part of the story is to not be passive, is not to let things wash over you. I want to go and find love, and I want to have babies.”
She acknowledged her intense work ethic as, “I’m an absolute work maniac. I can see I’m exhausted. I suddenly woke up last year, and I was like, ‘I hate how much of my life I’ve missed.’ Yes, I want to have a career forever, but that’s not going to happen if I work myself into the ground.”
In the film, Pugh’s character shaves her head, which she did in real life during filming.
“For any actor taking a role like this, it is completely important that you see her head, and we see her shaving it – it was just always a no-brainer,” she explained.
For her, the experience was emotional and transformative, “My head was so sensitive and so many people were trying to touch it, and it was so alive. My body went into a bit of trauma from it. I was cold all the time… I was going through so many [aesthetic] iterations when I was also going through life decisions. I was like, ‘Cool, well I don’t look like me. I’m changed. I’m changing.’ Looking back on that summer, I was growing into a new thing.”
The Falling star discussed her past relationship with Zach Braff: “Mine and Zach’s relationship was actually quite private until it was nasty, and I could see the toll that it was taking on him and us and our families… And that’s when I spoke out. I think for anyone I’m with, I want to protect them.”
Disclosing details about her new relationship, the actress shared, “Something that I resonate with is that I believe that if magic is real, then it’s falling in love. And I am someone that loves falling in love… I think in this portion of my life, I’m trying to make sure that I’m making all the right decisions so that I can have the thing that I want… which is safety, family, a home and security.”
She further described the approach she and her partner are taking for the things.
“I think for the first time, I’m not allowing myself to go on a roller-coaster. I’m allowing myself to take time to let something evolve and let it be completely real to its core, as opposed to racing into that.”
