Florence Pugh on Thunderbolts attacking depression, Avengers: Doomsday

Florence Pugh might have Daredevil in her DNA.

During the comic strip of San Diego last summer, Pugh revealed that she had a major blow in “Thunderbolts”: jumping from the second highest building in the world, Merdeka, a 118-story skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia. It is the type of terrifying feat that would flly most of the grandparents, but Pugh’s grandmother, affectionately called “Granzo Pat”, did not seem to beat a lashes during the first in London Marvel.

“She loved the film. She said:” Brilliant, darling. Very exciting “, but I didn’t ask her what she thought of the jump,” said Pugh Variety In Los Angeles a few days later. “She’s so crazy, as if he was someone who is doing pretty crazy things, so maybe she thought it was a walk in the park.”

With the single blow, Pugh adds “Guinness World Record” to his already impressive CV, but she did not do it for personal glory. “I wanted to do this blow because I knew that it meant that we all have to do it. Like, yes, I was able to jump from the second highest building in the world, but we all have too,” said Pugh about the part of the record with the longtime coordinator of Marvel Stunt Heidi Moneymaker and Basic Jumper Katie Hansen. “That day in Malaysia was an achievement for all of us. We were all able to say that we worked on this one, and what an impressive and powerful way to start a film!”

Indeed, the free fall underlines the idea that “Thunderbolts *”, in theaters now, is a completely different type of Marvel film – which uses its action to alert the public that the Mercenary of Pugh, Yelena Belova, does not really appreciate his work. This is the early atmosphere of the superhero team film by director Jake Schreier, who brings together a team of anti-heroes-the agent of the Black Widow Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh); Bucky Barnes, alias the winter soldier (Sebastian Stan); Super Russian soldier – and the adoptive father of Yelena – Red Guardian (David Harbor); The former “Captain America” ​​in disgrace John Walker (Wyatt Russell); the invisible spy ghost (Hannah John-Kamen); And in the fight Taskmaster Expert (Olga Kurylenko) – to face their darkest side of themselves.

This beginning makes a fairly powerful statement, because this film talks about depression and the fight against shame – things that you would not have expected from a summer blockbuster. How was it to immerse themselves in these themes?

Really, I was so impressed that Marvel wanted to make this version of the film. They made incredible films with incredible sequences of waterfalls, but how much we can say that we have made a film with whom we all have trouble.

This film will help a lot of people. And the underlying message is that we must be there for each other. We have to open. We have to connect. Like that, for me, it would be an impressive film anyway, and even less that it is a Marvel film that thousands of people will watch.

You described Yelena as a very raw character, but she is also very empathetic and very lonely. How was the chance to take her on this trip where she finally finds her team, this family she is looking for?

One of the things I like about her is that she always tries to help the person who may not be so strong or may need a little love. She did that with Kate Bishop [in “Hawkeye”]; She did that with Bob. She saved the hamster – she adopted Fanny Longbottom. As if it was someone who really understands what it does to need help.

Because she was left when she was younger and because she had this relationship open with her sister, it meant that she is very nice to people, and even if she crosses her own trauma in this film, as it is always there. She always wants to save the hamster, and she always wants to help Bob, and it’s a very nice thing to play. So yes, she is raw, but she is also very loving. And even when she feels low, she likes. And I like it.

It is beautiful to see her realize that the removal of her pain is not the right answer. Then you and David have a scene of heart shooters where Yelena breaks down all her regrets. What did you do with that when you read it on the page? What did you want to explore with this father-daughter relationship?

It was not there on the page – there was a version, and it was good, but it did not allow us to shout on important things.

In the original script, there was nothing to do with Natasha; It was a question of being boring and it was just something that David and I were so categorical. For example, we cannot that these characters discuss the elephant in the room. We cannot pretend to pretend to pretend that the last years, however, have not occurred. They must shout on it. This is what they are angry with. They did not communicate with each other; They were not in the life of the other.

And sorrow sometimes does that. Sorrow is a painful, embarrassing and horrible hole in which you are stuck. They are both imperfect, and they need a moment to love him, screaming each other and say they love each other. So, we were very passionate about this – and Jake was so excited that we were – and we simply went through versions of what we wanted to tell ourselves.

Then that day, when we were able to do it, I love to work with David. He is so large and he is so strong and emotional – these two characters are so impressive personalities – that it was really, really cool to be able to fight. Basically, they just need to have a hug.

Exactly, that would solve him. I thought about Comic Con, when you and I discovered – and have panicked – that Robert Downey Jr. was going to be in “Avengers: Doomsday”. Now there are even more people.

Many people.