Let’s be real, Florence Pugh is living the dream of every actor. With her bold professional choices, visceral emotional intensity, and unsettling knack for bringing every character to vivid life, she’s established herself as one of the most compelling actors of her generation. From shattering hearts in a historical drama, descending into psychological terror, or swiping scenes in superhero franchises, Pugh never fails. So, let’s shine a light on her greatness with a countdown of her ten greatest performances, the ones that have fans in love, critics in awe, and Hollywood paying attention.
10. Fighting with My Family
Before award nods and box-office hits, Florence Pugh was body-slamming her way into the hearts of Hollywood with real-life wrestler Paige in this underdog dramedy. She is both hilarious and heartfelt, splitting family drama with the rough and tumble of the wrestling ring. Her chemistry with Lena Headey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is charged, and she is absolutely right in capturing Paige’s development from gangly outsider to self-assured champion. Pugh is “a tough yet tender fighter whose bravado masks a deep well of emotion.”
9. The Wonder
This sleeper deserves your notice. Pugh appears as a nurse dispatched to country Ireland to probe a girl who has not eaten for months, and the puzzle turns into one of faith, science, and ethics. It’s a low-key, contemplative movie supported by her truly felt performance. She dominates the screen with reserved strength, demonstrating that she can command an audience with a look or a silence. “The Wonder provides Pugh with the sort of meaty role every thespian hopes for, complex, sensitive, and full of emotional resonance.”
8. The Little Drummer Girl
In this spy thriller, Pugh upends the spy genre on its head. Playing Charlie Ross, a loose-cannon actress pulled into an Israeli intel mission, she’s forever walking the line between performance and survival. Across six gripping episodes, she pieces together an intriguing picture of a woman torn between lies and truth. Critics described her performance as “a masterclass in subtlety and tension,” and it’s not difficult to understand why.
7. Don’t Worry Darling
Ignore the rumor mill behind the scenes; Florence Pugh is the headline here. As Alice, a woman who inhabits a rosy 1950s suburb that’s concealing dark secrets, she gives a searing and emotionally intense performance. From her playful flirtatiousness to her fraying paranoia, she takes over the film with unwavering self-assurance. Even if the film split audiences down the middle, everyone concurred on one point: “Miss Flo steals every scene.”
6. Lady Macbeth
The film that launched her career. In the role of Katherine, a young woman trapped in a suffocating marriage, Pugh delivers a quietly ferocious performance. She says so much without actually having to say much, owning every frame with her mere presence. Her chilling evolution from victim to monster is a breakthrough that received significant critical acclaim. “Lady Macbeth set her up as a powerhouse who can carry a movie with raw expression and intensity.”
5. Black Widow
Amidst a franchise that is brimming with superheroes, Pugh’s Yelena Belova was an instant fan favorite. Her dry wit, deadly precision, and emotional fragility reinvigorated the MCU with her presence. Her playful repartee with Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha and her ability to mix sarcasm with heart made her a standout character. Critics referred to her as “one of the best additions Marvel has made in years,” and fans couldn’t help but concur.
4. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Who knew Goldilocks would be this much fun? Pugh infuses the animated heist with her signature energy, voicing a feisty yet vulnerable version of the fairy-tale burglar. She adds humor, attitude, and surprising warmth to the character, making what might have been a supporting player one of the film’s best emotional moments. As one critic wrote, “Florence Pugh’s voice alone could carry a film, and here, it nearly does.”
3. Midsommar
Few performances have ever equaled emotional collapse so eerily as Pugh’s Dani. In Ari Aster’s sunshine horror, she is a bereaved woman whose odyssey through a Swedish cult is both harrowing and purgative. Her unadorned emotion grounds the otherworldly nightmare, turning Midsommar into not only a horror movie, but an agonizing exploration of bereavement and renewal. “This is Pugh’s movie through and through, a performance of unflinching vulnerability and power.”
2. Little Women
In Greta Gerwig’s retelling of the classic, Pugh brings complexity and emotion to Amy March, the character she has always been worthy of. Witty, ambitious, and imperfect but profoundly human. Flawlessly embodying Amy as both a wide-eyed teenager and a confident woman, Pugh received her first Oscar nod and acclaim across the board. “Her performance adds new depth and understanding, making one of literature’s least popular sisters its hidden heroine.”
1. Oppenheimer
With minimal screen time in Christopher Nolan’s epic historical, Florence Pugh leaves an indelible mark playing Jean Tatlock, J. Robert Oppenheimer’s smarter-than-wise and tortured lover. She brings sensuality, sadness, and emotional weight to the role and injects humanity into the film’s monumental scope. “In a handful of scenes, Pugh makes a lasting impression, evidence that even in an ensemble film, her presence is undeniable.”
From indie dramas to blockbusters, Florence Pugh keeps demonstrating she can do it all and do it better than nearly everybody else. Whether she’s shattering your heart, cracking you up, or sending shivers down your spine, she injects a scarce authenticity into every performance. If this list attests to anything, it’s that Florence Pugh isn’t merely a star on the ascension; she’s one of the defining talents of her age already.