'I wanted vanity out of the picture...' Florence Pugh explains motivation for buzzcut
‘Oppenheimer’ star Florence Pugh has opened up on her motivation to shave all her hair off.
Florence Pugh
Florence Pugh shaved her head to take the “vanity out of the picture”.
The 'Oppenheimer’ actress caused a buzz on the red carpet when she walked the red carpet at the 2023 Met Gala in May sporting a cropped hairstyle.
Pugh said the decision to shear all her hair off was deliberate to protect herself as an actress. By changing her appearance, she believes she can produce more convincing on-screen performances.
Speaking to Radio Times magazine, she said: "I purposefully chose to look like that. I wanted vanity out of the picture.
“Hollywood is very glamorous - especially for women - and it's hard for an audience to see past that. Whenever I've not needed to be glam or have a full face of makeup, I fight to keep it that way. It helps the audience. Vanity is gone.
"The only thing that people can look at then is your raw face."
The 27-year-old British star - who made her acting debut in 2014 drama film ‘The Falling’ - says she has constantly been fighting to have control her own image.
She explained: "Even at the beginning of my career, I was always fighting to control my image. It helps me when I'm wearing less makeup because then I'm less of a sparkly thing on screen. I feel like I'm allowed to do ugly faces, like it's more acceptable.”
Pugh believes that opting to wear less makeup has helped her land unconventional roles as Hollywood glamour can serve as a distraction.
She added: “I’ve loved stretching any size of role, any obscure character.
"There are things where I don't know how I mustered the courage - but I pushed myself off the cliff and hoped the wings came out."
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