Florence Pugh knew she had to go back to the bare necessities for starring in romance-drama “We Live in Time” — and that included baring her dome.
The Academy Award-nominated actress told Vanity Fair that she was fully dedicated to the part of Almut, a woman whose love story with husband Tobias (Andrew Garfield) is interrupted after a troubling medical diagnosis. The decades-spanning A24 indie is directed by John Crowley from a script by Nick Payne.
As Pugh explained, during early conversations with Crowley, she told him that she would not wear a wig or bald cap for the part; instead, she opted to fully shave her head.
“I just stopped him mid-sentence and I was like, ‘John, no one can play a character like this in a movie like this and not do the thing that is needed to be done,’” Pugh said. “And if you don’t want to do it, I believe that you shouldn’t be doing a story like this.”
Pugh added that the role and its emotional weight made her feel “very grown-up.” She and Garfield quickly bonded.
“I felt like I was coming at it in a different way, and I had someone who could hold me and protect me in the same way that I was holding Andrew and protecting him,” Pugh said. “And it was a very, very fluid language between the two of us, and that was just a very powerful thing to create with someone.”
The official synopsis for the film reads: “Almut (Pugh) and Tobias (Garfield) are brought together in a surprise encounter that changes their lives. Through snapshots of their life together, falling for each other, building a home, becoming a family, a difficult truth is revealed that rocks its foundation. As the couple embarks on a path challenged by the limits of time, they learn to cherish each moment of the unconventional route their love story has taken.”
Pugh says “We Live in Time” showcases a different side of her acting ability.
“I think for a long time, I’ve wanted to find something that is not necessarily as hardened or as powerful as my other characters,” Pugh said. “I think this came at the right time in my life. I got to play a very, very normal woman who is talented in her own ways. The story is about the powerful love, and the powerful connection, between two people.”
She added, “Especially as Brits, we grow up with the quirkiest and most beautiful of love stories. And I think it’s been a long time since we’ve had one of those. When I read it, I just fell in love with the idea of getting to be in one of those movies that will matter to a lot of people, and will live for a long time. And it’s about the simplest of things, which is that we are here, I personally believe, for one reason only: to love and be loved.”
“We Live in Time” premieres October 11 in theaters.
