Florence Pugh says her body ‘went into a bit of trauma’ after shaving her head for movie role

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN

(CNN) — British actress Florence Pugh has revealed that shaving her head for her latest movie role was a “really bizarre” experience that sent her body “into a bit of trauma.”

The 28-year-old had to lose her hair for “We Live in Time,” a tear-jerking romance in which she stars alongside fellow British actor Andrew Garfield.

The movie follows the couple over a decade of their relationship, which changes forever after a medical diagnosis.

In an interview with British Vogue published Wednesday, Pugh revealed that the dramatic haircut triggered both a physical and emotional response.

“In many religions, hair is the most precious thing on the body – it’s where you store your memories and your dreams and your history. (Shaving) it was really bizarre,” said Pugh, whose previous credits include “Oppenheimer,” “Dune: Part Two” and “Little Women.”

“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,” said Pugh, whose character Almut is a figure skater-turned-chef.

Co-star Garfield was the one to shave her head for the movie. He told the magazine that “it was a privilege to be given that job,” although he was nervous.

He said: “What if I somehow destroyed the head of one of the best actors of her generation? It was terrifying, but ultimately it was a very beautiful, intimate scene to shoot and thank God she has such a nicely shaped melon.”

Pugh said that the role came at the right time in her career.

“I was going through so many (aesthetic) iterations when I was also going through life decisions,” she said. “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.”

Pugh went on to reveal that she is in a new relationship, though she stopped short of naming her new love.

She said: “We are figuring what we actually are. And 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.”

Pugh previously dated actor Zach Braff, with their 21-year age gap attracting attention. Pugh eventually hit back at the criticism in an interview she gave to the Sunday Times in 2021, saying: “It’s my life and I’m not doing anything to please people or to make it a better headline or story.”

When asked about that relationship, she told Vogue: “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.

“It’s not nice knowing that people are saying the worst things I’ve ever read about someone that I love. So that was necessary. I needed to talk about it. I think any relationship in this limelight is going to be stressed.”

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