Updated with video.
Florence Pugh gets a lot of attention from fans thanks to stellar roles and her red-carpet looks, but it's not so often she's making headlines for her hot takes on the film industry. Pugh recently got real about something particular that irks her while filming, and how that pet peeve ultimately led to an unexpected "dream day" of filming Hawkeye with co-star Hailee Steinfeld.
It's common knowledge, though by no means universally known, that actors filming scenes where their characters are eating are not always actually eating and drinking things themselves. When Florence Pugh appeared on Hot Ones for her saucy guest spot, the actress talked about her love of eating while on the set of her various projects, while also sharing how much she dislikes it when she's not actually allowed to chow down in the moment.
I think eating on camera is so cool, especially when you actually get to eat and swallow. Because most of the time when you’re shooting things, they’re all like, ‘Don’t eat it, don’t touch it. This is going to be a long day make sure you just nibble.’ It’s one of my biggest pet peeves when you watch a scene and someone’s just like moving the food around the plate and doesn’t actually eat it.
Now I'm just thinking back to every time I've seen something that looked mightily delicious in a TV show or movie, and wondering how much harder it would be to deal with if I was a hungry actor sitting in front of it. Of course, not every eating experience on-set is pleasant, and the reason most actors don't indulge is because it can lead to bouts of binging, purging, and spitting. Even so, Florence Pugh is going to end up making this a pet peeve of mine as well, should I enter the actor world at any point in the future.
Fortunately, the Midsommar star didn't have to put up with that when she joined Hailee Steinfeld on Hawkeye, and she appeared to have had a ball filming the scene of Yelena and Kate Bishop talking over instant macaroni and cheese. Pugh confirmed she was indeed eating a lot of the delightfully orange snack food while shooting that scene, and didn't hold back on the sriracha. In her words:
That was pretty much my idea to essentially have a dream day at work and eat mac and cheese all day long. And then they had Sriracha on the table as a prop, and I was like, ‘Is this real?’ And the props guy was like, ‘Yeah, it’s real.’ I was like ‘Great.’ And so every single take I’m just shoveling in mouthfuls of Sriracha. I had a fantastic day, it was great. They came and they asked my lunch order. I said, ‘Are you kidding? I’ve been eating bowls and like pots of mac and cheese all morning.’
Eating a bunch of mac and cheese while casually shooting scenes for your job as one of the MCU's newer badasses definitely sounds like a dream. With that said, I have to give it up for Florence Pugh for her ability to eat that much pasta and faux-cheese before it was even officially lunchtime. I love the cheesy dish as much as the next person, but I don't think I've ever had it before noon or would want to.
While Florence Pugh is a fan of a little spice in her mac and cheese, it does appear she has her limits. Pugh was able to hold her own through the first half of Hot Ones, but toward the end of the video, it was clear the heat was getting to her. Take a look at the video, which is loaded with all sorts of fun stories from the actress:
Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova is slated to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Thunderbolts alongside some other pretty big names. As far as what's next for Black Widow's sister following that project, we're still waiting to learn more, but I do hope there is more on the way. If not, I guess I'll always have her iconic lines in Black Widow and Hawkeye to binge with my Disney+ subscription.
Thunderbolts is due out in theaters in July of 2024, so we have some time to wait and enjoy a bowl of mac and cheese. I'm still not sure I'll be enjoying it as a breakfast meal, but Florence Pugh definitely has me considering it.
