Florence Pugh Says ‘I Can’t Do’ Roles Like ‘Midsommar’ Again Because ‘I Definitely Felt Like I Abused Myself’ and ‘That Was Too Much’

variety.com:

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Florence Pughsaid during a recent interview on the “Reign with Josh Smith” podcast (via People) that she is not likely to do a role like “Midsommar” again because she feels like she abused herself while playing the film’s protagonist Dani, a grief-stricken American woman who has a psychological breakdown when she joins her toxic boyfriend on a trip to Sweden’s midsummer festival.

Pugh said she’s “learned how to” protect herself as an actor over the years, and part of that is knowing when you just can’t do a role again. “There have been some roles where I’ve given too much and I’ve been broken for a long while afterwards,” Pugh said. “Like when I did ‘Midsommar,’ I definitely felt like I abused myself in the places that I got myself to go.” “I mean, the nature of figuring these things out is you need to go, ‘Alright, well, I can’t do that again ’cause that was too much,'” she continued. “But then I look at that performance and I’m really proud of what I did, and I’m proud of what came out of me.

I don’t regret it. But, yeah, there’s definitely things that you have to respect about yourself.” Any abuse that Pugh suffered during the making of “Midsommar” was strictly self-inflicted.

She has nothing but praise for director Ari Aster and told The New York Times last year that he’s “peculiar in a mad genius kind of a way” and “a stand-up comedian at heart.” She added, “Once you laugh at one thing, he will try and make you laugh at all the other things.