- At 24, up-and-comer Florence Pugh has been nominated for a 2020 Oscar for her role in Little Women.
- Besides Little Women, she also starred in Midsommar in 2019.
- Here, we share more about Pugh, who you'll also see in Black Widow this year, including details about her relationship with boyfriend Zach Braff.
With three major films under her belt in 2019, Florence Pugh became one of the buzziest young actresses to close out the decade. In December, the Associated Press named her one of their "Breakout Entertainers." And now, she's officially in the Oscar's race after being nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role as Amy March in Little Women. It's safe to say we're waiting on the edge of our seats for her appearance on the Oscars red carpet on Sunday, February 9.
"It’s a weird feeling that everyone’s talking about everything, but it’s a wonderful feeling,” the 24-year-old told the AP.
That "everything" she's referring to? Well, let's start off with one: Greta Gerwig's Little Women, starring Pugh, Saoirse Ronan, Eliza Scanlen, Emma Watson, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, and Meryl Streep. With that rockstar cast, it's one of the most acclaimed movies of the year, and as we already mentioned, Pugh may be taking home an Academy Award in 2020. She's nominated alongside Dern (Marriage Story), Margot Robbie (Bombshell), Scarlett Johansson (Jojo Rabbit), and Kathy Bates (Richard Jewell).
“I found evidence in the book that Amy was Jo’s equal, but I had never seen her explored in that way,” Gerwig told The New York Times. “I knew there was no other person who could do it but Florence. She has movie star written all over her, but she’s also a character actor, which is the best kind of movie star.”
Pugh took to Instagram to share a clip of when she learned about her Academy Award nom. "Before the moment.. the exact moment. #nominated #forafuckingoscar!!!!!!" she captioned her post.
But another clue that this is just the beginning for Pugh? Next year, she's set to join one of the biggest film franchises, like, ever. (We're not exaggerating). From her super low-key boyfriend, Zach Braff, to her incredibly fierce fans, below, everything we know about Pugh—who, at this rate is set to become one of the biggest A-listers of the new decade.
Yes, you might recognize Florence Pugh from previous movies. (Midsommar or Black Widow ring a bell?)
Aside from starring as Amy in the newest adaptation of Little Women, Pugh also led the summer 2019 blockbuster Midsommar (a pagan cult thriller) and co-starred alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the dramedy Fighting With My Family.
And though it's not being released until 2020, the official trailer for the Scarlett Johansson-led Black Widow marks Pugh's introduction into the mega Marvel universe. She's playing Yelena Belova, the bad-ass pseudo younger sister of Johansson's Black Widow—aka Natasha Romanoff.
"I think we’ve made something very raw and very painful and very beautiful," the actress recently said in a video for Variety. "I think people are going to be really surprised by the outcome of a big action film and it having that much heart."
She even shared a poster from the film on Instagram back in August with the enthusiastic caption: "Excited about our little indie we’re shooting atm.. (HOLY SPICEBALLS LOOK AT THE FECKIN POWER, THE STRENGTH AND ALL OF THAT HAIR OIL)."
She and the rest of the Little Women cast are super close.
That close-knit bond that you probably sensed amongst Jo, Amy, Beth, and Meg on the big screen is just as real for their real-life counterparts. In fact, the squad apparently bonded over their shared love of...Wendy's, thanks to co-star Meryl Streep.
“We really were a tight sisterhood and we knew it had to be that way in order for it to be real and believable,” Pugh told Glamour. “Whether it’s on or off screen, you’ll never get anything like the power of that support system and that belief we had in one another. We were ready to go to war for one another. If one of us has something to say, then we all have something to say!”
And Florence Pugh is reportedly dating Zach Braff.
Pugh and actor Zach Braff, 44, have never publicly confirmed their relationship or even made it "Insta-official," so fans don't know much about them. But the duo was first seen holding hands in New York City in April 2019, according to People.
They've since been spotted out and about shopping together in the latter half of the year. But while both attended the premieres of Little Women and Marriage Story respectively, they were photographed on the red carpet separately. And in December, Pugh clapped back at a commentator who commented on the duo's 20-year-age difference. After Braff dropped a princess emoji under one of his reported girlfriend's Instagram photos, a user wrote, "You're 44 years old," to which Pugh responded, "and yet he got it." Lesson learned? Don't come for her man.
There's no official report of how they met or when exactly they started dating, but People also reports that Braff developed the short film In the Time It Takes To Get There, in which Pugh starred in alongside Alicia Silverstone last April. And in March, Collider reported that Braff was a strong candidate to direct The Secret Ingredients of Rocket Cola. And guess what? Pugh was in talks to star in that, too.
Fun fact: Her brother was in Game of Thrones.
Yes, Pugh is related to someone who was part of the Game of Thrones universe. The actress' older brother, Toby Sebastian (she has three siblings), played Trystane Martell during seasons 5 and 6 of the epic HBO fantasy series.
Toby Sebastian as Trystane Martell in Game of Thrones.
In December, Sebastian shared a photo of himself, Pugh, and their two sisters Rafaella Pugh and Arabella Gibbins (also an actress) at the Little Women France premiere.
"Siblings take Paris," he captioned the snap.
Pugh is indeed British.
Yes, that American accent she has in every other movie she's in is the result of excellent acting skills. But no worries, her signature deep rasp is still there, even with a British lilt.
Pugh hails from the English countryside of Oxford, U.K. and attended the elite St. Edward's, a private boarding school. (In another tie to GOT, Emilia Clarke is also an alumna.) The up-and-comer started acting when she was 17 years old.
“I did a job where it was made very apparent that I needed to lose weight [by the team working on the production] and when it was over, I was very aware I didn’t want to do that kind of work,” she told Glamour. “Because I was faced with that, I realized what I wanted to represent, and had that not happened, I may not have overcome my issues with my body at such an early age. I’m happy about that, but a lot of women aren’t that lucky.”
And the internet is already obsessed with her.
With a steady pace of film releases in 2019, members of the Twitterverse are also taking note of Pugh's star-power—and she's already earned a loyal fan base. And when the actress was snubbed by the Golden Globes and the SAGs for her work in Little Women or Midsommar, her fans were vocal about their support.
There's also this.
And this.
Oh, and lastly this.
We can only imagine what the awards season tweets will look like. In the meantime, enjoy Pugh's previous projects—and keep an eye on her star, because it will only continue to rise.
Finally, she's a fun Instagram follow.
Don't believe us? See for yourself.
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McKenzie Jean-Philippe
Editorial Assistant
McKenzie Jean-Philippe is the editorial assistant at OprahMag.com covering pop culture, TV, movies, celebrity, and lifestyle. She loves a great Oprah viral moment and all things Netflix—but come summertime, Big Brother has her heart. On a day off you'll find her curled up with a new juicy romance novel.