Florence Pugh Reveals ‘Midsommar’ Plunged Her Into Months of Depression: “It Really F—ed Me Up”
Florence Pugh hasn’t been shy when it comes to her time working on Ari Aster’s cult horror film, Midsommar. In the years since the 2019 film’s release, the actress has mentioned the difficulty of the emotionally devastating performance. But recently, Pugh revealed that the role affected her for months afterward.
While appearing on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Pugh discussed playing the character of Dani and the months of depression that the role led to.
In Midsommar, Dani loses her family to a terrible tragedy and finds herself caught in a deep cycle of depression. During a trip to a remote Swedish commune with her emotionally abusive boyfriend and his cohorts, the group discovers the true, horrifying nature of the place they’ve stumbled into. Manipulation and death follow, pushing Dani into a full psychological breakdown.
“I think [Midsommar] made me sad for like six months after and I didn’t know why I was depressed,” said Pugh. “I got back after shooting Little Women, which was such a fun experience and obviously a completely different tone from Midsommar, so I think I shelved all of that. And then when I got home for Christmas, I was so depressed and I was like, ‘Oh, I think that’s from Midsommar,‘ and I didn’t deal with it and I probably shouldn’t do that again.”
Simply watching Midsommar has a psychological effect that, at the very least, leaves the audience reeling for a bit. We can only imagine what it must’ve been like for Pugh to be in the shoes of Dani for so long.
Added Pugh, “I really put myself through it. At the beginning, I just imagined hearing the news that one of my siblings had died, and then, towards the middle of the shoot, it was like, ‘Oh no, I actually needed to imagine the coffins.’ And then towards the end of the shoot, I actually was going to my whole family’s funeral.”
“I’d never done anything like that before, and I was like, ‘OK, well here’s my opportunity,” explained Pugh. “I need to give this a go.’ And I would just basically put myself through hell. But I don’t do that anymore. It really f—ed me up.”
All of this is awful to hear. Critics and audiences alike may adore Midsommar, but I think we can all agree that no actor should have to suffer for months afterward because of a role. Thankfully, it sounds like Pugh has recovered since then. But let’s all remember to treat each other with kindness, because we never know what those around us are going through.
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