Tue Jan 07 08:50:00 UTC 2025: ## Florence Pugh Says ‘Midsommar’ Role Led to Self-Inflicted “Abuse”
**Los Angeles, CA** – Academy Award-nominated actress Florence Pugh has revealed that her performance in the critically acclaimed horror film *Midsommar* led to a period of self-inflicted emotional distress. In a recent interview on the “Reign with Josh Smith” podcast, Pugh stated that she pushed herself to extremes to portray the grief-stricken Dani, a role she doesn’t intend to repeat.
“There have been some roles where I’ve given too much and I’ve been broken for a long while afterwards,” Pugh explained, specifically citing *Midsommar*. “Like when I did ‘Midsommar,’ I definitely felt like I abused myself in the places that I got myself to go.” She emphasized that this was a self-imposed process, expressing admiration for director Ari Aster and highlighting the challenging nature of the production, including the demanding filming conditions.
Pugh previously shared similar sentiments on the “Off Menu” podcast, detailing how she intentionally immersed herself in negative emotions to achieve the desired level of realism. The intensity of the role had a lingering impact, as she recounted feeling immense guilt after leaving the *Midsommar* set and moving directly to the set of *Little Women*. She described a feeling of abandoning the character, Dani, leaving her in a vulnerable and emotionally compromised state.
While proud of her performance and not regretful of the experience, Pugh has learned to set boundaries as an actor, stating that she now recognizes when a role pushes her beyond a healthy limit. The full interview can be found on the “Reign with Josh Smith” podcast, a Variety and iHeartRadio production.
First Piper 