Overview
- Pugh detailed on The Louis Theroux Podcast that portraying the grief-stricken lead in the 2019 folk-horror film resulted in about six months of depression.
- She said she "abused" her mental health to achieve the performance and "put [herself] through hell," a process she no longer intends to repeat.
- To reach the character’s anguish, she described imagining the death of a sibling, visualizing coffins, and ultimately picturing a funeral for her entire family.
- Pugh recalled flying directly from that shoot to begin Little Women with minimal downtime, breaking down on the plane as she felt she had left the character behind.
- She emphasized the toll was self-inflicted and praised director Ari Aster, adding that she probably could have used more support during the demanding production.