Backstage With… Florence Pugh and Zach Braff on their new film A Good Person | Ents & Arts News

Florence Pugh says the thought to chop off her hair for her newest movie was impressed by her personal means of coping with psychological well being points when she was youthful.

In A Good Individual the star performs a girl who turns into hooked on painkillers following a tragedy.

Whereas fighting what she’s going by means of, her character Allison cuts her hair and Pugh informed Sky Information’ movie and TV podcast Backstage that the thought to do this got here from her personal lived expertise.

“I feel now we have this terrible nature, nicely, I do typically, that when issues are going improper, I simply, like, chop bits of myself off, and that concept truly got here from me after I was youthful,” she defined.

“I used to be simply going by means of that basic teenage bout of despair the place you are not fairly positive that you just’re depressed, so I simply purchased random issues and tried to fast repair myself, like simply to purchase issues that might stick on me and possibly I might really feel higher.

“And in order that was an concept that I used to be saying, ‘Effectively, what if she simply chops off a chunk of her for no motive different than simply attempting to repair one thing?’ After which what that did is it made this entire character not care anymore and have hair that’s ridiculous, and I liked that.

“I at all times love moving into a job the place I haven’t got to care about being digicam lovely or something like that, I really like not with the ability to have to consider that.”

Whereas Pugh’s character is an addict, she’s additionally likeable and relatable – with the movie steering clear from a stereotypical portrayal of a drug consumer.

The actress says it was necessary – although not simple – for her to get the half proper.

“I feel we neglect that simply because somebody is on this terrible house does not imply that they are nonetheless not charming or they’re nonetheless not in a position to make you’re keen on them or make you need to assist them – that’s the hardest factor about being in that state of affairs.

“We spoke to many individuals that helped us, helped paint an thought of what it’s to be like at that low and the way far it’s important to get and the way far it’s important to go to truly realise you need assistance.

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“I feel having all of these wonderful characters round her, desperately attempting to assist her, make it actual, make it more durable, make it unbelievable that she will’t kick it – after which that additionally helps me be capable of form of work out an arc of how do I pull this all through?

“That she has to nonetheless be likeable and frustratingly cussed. And why will we nonetheless need her to get higher even after she’s finished all that she’s finished, and that was tough.

“In fact, it is so arduous doing one thing like this since you by no means need to offend anybody, you do not need to damage anybody, you need to get it proper – you find yourself battering your self a bit of bit as nicely – however I am actually happy with it, I am actually happy with this work.”

The movie was written for Pugh by her former accomplice Zach Braff – who additionally directs – who she dated for 3 years.

She admits that it may need been arduous to recommend modifications or push again in the event that they did not have the historical past that they do.

“I am positive it might be if it was possibly somebody that did not know me so nicely and I did not know them so nicely.

“There have been issues within the unique script that I might be like, ‘I do not assume it might…’ or ‘That, I might discover a bit arduous to say’ or ‘Do you thoughts if I give a stab at this?’ and [Braff] was utterly cool with that and I feel as a result of he does know me so nicely and is aware of how I carry out and is aware of what he wished from me as a performer it meant that I might additionally then ask the identical of him, and that was an incredible expertise to have.

“It was very free for everyone on set, not simply me – he wrote the movie for me, however each actor and each character had the flexibility to point out up on the day they had been working and imply one thing, and in the event that they wanted to alter one thing, they’re greater than welcome to convey it to mild.”

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A Good Individual is Braff’s third movie as writer-director, following 2004’s Backyard State and 2014’s Want I Was Right here.

He informed Sky Information’ Backstage Podcast he want to do extra – but it surely’s not so simple as simply desirous to.

“It is very arduous for me to put in writing a script, they do not come simply to me.

“I want I might be extra prolific, however I’ve to let inspiration strike, so it is arduous.

“However this got here to me in the course of the pandemic and positively in the course of the lockdown I had the time and I had no excuse – I ran out of excuses throughout lockdown, the universe locked us all in our homes and I had no alternative.”

The movie appears at tragedy, grief and the way folks reply to trauma and Braff has been open about it being impressed by his personal experiences – together with dropping an excellent good friend to COVID-19.

He acknowledges it is exposing to pour himself in to the movie.

“What’s extra susceptible than writing an unique screenplay and saying, ‘That is the ache that I’ve had, these are my wounds, principally’, however I feel that is what hopefully good artwork is, in any kind – an artist having the braveness to be susceptible for an viewers.

“I feel that is definitely what one does as an actor each day that they are working.”

The lack of his good friend to COVID and the lockdown giving Braff the time and house to put in writing are simply two methods wherein the pandemic impacted the movie.

Whereas A Good Individual focuses on one character’s restoration, Braff says it is actually taking a look at how we have all coped the previous few years.

“I feel that one of many issues that folks may see on this movie is that it is also within the macro about recovering.

“I imply, the movie’s about recovering from tragedy and trauma, and I feel if you happen to zoom out, I hope that audiences will see it is also about recovering from that have that all of us went by means of – this insane pandemic that I do not assume we are able to all even course of simply but.

“We’re simply shifting on however probably not taking a look at the entire thing, and I feel there’s additionally that – it is about popping out of this horrible time.”

A Good Individual, which additionally stars Morgan Freeman, is out now on Sky Cinema.

Hear our evaluation on the most recent episode of Backstage – the movie and TV podcast from Sky Information.