Florence Pugh felt “immense guilt” after filming Midsommar

The psychological and physical challenges of playing Dani

Florence Pugh has opened up about the intense psychological and physical challenges she faced during the filming of A24’s psychological thriller Midsommar. Pugh played Dani, a psychology student trying to deal with the death of her parents and sister while visiting a Swedish commune for their annual midsummer festival with her toxic boyfriend and his friends. Pugh admitted that playing Dani was emotionally taxing and induced feelings of guilt when filming ended.

Putting herself in Danny’s shoes

Pugh revealed that during production, she was so focused on her role that she often imagined herself in Dani’s tragic situations. Despite the incredible toll the role had on her, she admitted to pushing herself harder and harder to enhance her performance.

Physical challenges of shooting

In addition to the psychological challenges, Pugh dealt with physical challenges while filming Midsommar. The shoot took place in a hot field, which made the already emotionally challenging experience even more difficult.

A lasting emotional impact

Pugh confessed that when the movie was finished, she had an intense feeling of guilt and loss as if she was leaving Dani behind. She admitted that this had never happened to her before and was surprised to be feeling this way. The lasting impact of the role made it even more apparent how attached Pugh had become to Dani and how hard it was to leave her behind.

Important scenes

Pugh cited one scene in particular as the most challenging yet rewarding to film. The scene featured Dani having a panic attack surrounded by other young women in the commune who mimic her to an intense climax. Pugh praised this moment in the film as an opportunity to display her raw, open emotions, adding that the scene was both hard and beautiful to film.

Credit: https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/florence-pugh-midsommar-abuse-filming

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