Backstage With… Florence Pugh and Zach Braff on their new film A Good Person

Published

2 years ago

April 29, 2023

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Florence Pugh says the idea to cut off her hair for her latest film was inspired by her own way of dealing with mental health issues when she was younger.

In A Good Person the star plays a woman who becomes addicted to painkillers following a tragedy.

While struggling with what she’s going through, her character Allison cuts her hair and Pugh told Sky News’ film and TV podcast Backstage that the idea to do that came from her own lived experience.

“I think we have this awful nature, well, I do sometimes, that when things are going wrong, I just, like, chop bits of myself off, and that idea actually came from me when I was younger,” she explained.

“I was just going through that classic teenage bout of depression where you’re not quite sure that you’re depressed, so I just bought random things and tried to quick fix myself, like just to buy things that would stick on me and maybe I’d feel better.

“And so that was an idea that I was saying, ‘Well, what if she just chops off a piece of her for no reason other than just trying to fix something?’ And then what that did is it made this whole character not care anymore and have hair that is ridiculous, and I loved that.

“I always love stepping into a role where I don’t have to care about being camera beautiful or anything like that, I love not being able to have to think about that.”

While Pugh’s character is an addict, she’s also likeable and relatable – with the film steering clear from a stereotypical portrayal of a drug user.

The actress says it was important – though not easy – for her to get the part right.

“I think we forget that just because someone is in this awful space doesn’t mean that they’re still not charming or they’re still not able to make you love them or make you want to help them – that is the hardest thing about being in that situation.

“We spoke to many people that helped us, helped paint an idea of what it is to be like at that low and how far you have to get and how far you have to go to actually realise you need help.

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“I think having all of those amazing characters around her, desperately trying to help her, make it real, make it harder, make it unbelievable that she can’t kick it – and then that also helps me be able to kind of figure out an arc of how do I pull this all the way through?

“That she has to still be likeable and frustratingly stubborn. And why do we still want her to get better even after she’s done all that she’s done, and that was tricky.

“Of course, it’s so hard doing something like this because you never want to offend anyone, you don’t want to hurt anyone, you want to get it right – you end up battering yourself a little bit as well – but I’m really proud of it, I’m really proud of this work.”

The film was written for Pugh by her former partner Zach Braff – who also directs – who she dated for three years.

She admits that it might have been hard to suggest changes or push back if they didn’t have the history that they do.

“I’m sure it would be if it was maybe someone that didn’t know me so well and I didn’t know them so well.

“There were things in the original script that I’d be like, ‘I don’t think it would…’ or ‘That, I’d find a bit hard to say’ or ‘Do you mind if I give a stab at this?’ and [Braff] was completely cool with that and I think because he does know me so well and knows how I perform and knows what he wanted from me as a performer it meant that I could also then ask the same of him, and that was an amazing experience to have.

“It was very free for everybody on set, not just me – he wrote the film for me, but every actor and every character had the ability to show up on the day they were working and mean something, and if they needed to change something, they’re more than welcome to bring it to light.”

A Good Person is Braff’s third film as writer-director, following 2004’s Garden State and 2014’s Wish I Was Here.

He told Sky News’ Backstage Podcast he would like to do more – but it’s not as simple as just wanting to.

“It’s very hard for me to write a script, they don’t come easily to me.

“I wish I could be more prolific, but I have to let inspiration strike, so it’s hard.

“But this came to me during the pandemic and certainly during the lockdown I had the time and I had no excuse – I ran out of excuses during lockdown, the universe locked us all in our houses and I had no choice.”

The film looks at tragedy, grief and how people respond to trauma and Braff has been open about it being inspired by his own experiences – including losing a good friend to COVID-19.

He acknowledges it’s exposing to pour himself in to the film.

“What’s more vulnerable than writing an original screenplay and saying, ‘This is the pain that I’ve had, these are my wounds, basically’, but I think that’s what hopefully good art is, in any form – an artist having the courage to be vulnerable for an audience.

“I think that’s certainly what one does as an actor every day that they’re working.”

The loss of his friend to COVID and the lockdown giving Braff the time and space to write are just two ways in which the pandemic impacted the film.

While A Good Person focuses on one character’s recovery, Braff says it’s really looking at how we’ve all coped the past few years.

“I think that one of the things that people might see in this film is that it’s also in the macro about recovering.

“I mean, the film’s about recovering from tragedy and trauma, and I think if you zoom out, I hope that audiences will see it’s also about recovering from that experience that we all went through – this insane pandemic that I don’t think we can all even process just yet.

“We’re just moving on but not really looking at the whole thing, and I think there’s also that – it’s about coming out of this horrible time.”

A Good Person, which also stars Morgan Freeman, is out now on Sky Cinema.

Hear our review on the latest episode of Backstage – the film and TV podcast from Sky News.

Entertainment

Dolly Parton says ‘I ain’t dead yet’ after health fears triggered by singer’s sister

Published

5 hours ago

October 9, 2025

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Dolly Parton says 'I ain’t dead yet' after health fears triggered by singer's sister

Dolly Parton has declared she “ain’t dead yet” after her sister raised concerns about the singer’s health by asking people to pray for her.

“There are just a lot of rumours flying around. But I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was okay,” the 79-year-old singer said in a new two-minute video posted on social media.

“I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me. And I ain’t done working,” she added.

In the footage, captioned “I ain’t dead yet!”, the 9 to 5 singer is seen on a set speaking directly to the camera.

On Tuesday, a Facebook post shared by her sister Freida Parton escalated concerns around Parton’s health when she wrote that she had been “up all night praying for my sister, Dolly”.

Hours later, Freida Parton followed up with a clarification. “I want to clear something up. I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly,” she wrote.

“She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer.”

Last month, Parton postponed her first Las Vegas residency in 32 years, citing “health challenges”.

She was scheduled to perform six shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in December. The dates have been moved to next September

Parton offered her own clarification about her health condition in Wednesday’s video.

“Everyone thinks that I am sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here! Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease, those of you who seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate,” she continued.

“And I appreciate your prayers because I’m a person of faith. I can always use the prayers for anything and everything.”

She also referenced her late husband of nearly 60 years Carl Dean who died earlier this year at the age of 82.

“I want you to know that I’m OK. I’ve got some problems as I’ve mentioned. Back when my husband Carl was very sick, that was for a long time, and then when he passed, I didn’t take care of myself. So I let a lot of things go that I should’ve been taking care of,” she said.

“So anyway, when I got around to it, the doctor said: ‘We need to take care of this. We need to take care of that.’ Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home, closer to Vanderbilt, where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there.”

And in true Parton fashion, she ended with a joke: “I wanted you to know that I’m not dying”.

Entertainment

Dolly Parton is ‘going to be just fine’, country singer’s sister says

Published

21 hours ago

October 8, 2025

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Dolly Parton is 'going to be just fine', country singer's sister says

Dolly Parton’s sister has said that the country singer is “going to be just fine” after worrying fans by asking for prayers.

Freida Parton had asked people for prayers for the Jolene and I Will Always Love You singer on Tuesday.

“Last night, I was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly. Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately,” Ms Parton wrote in a Facebook post.

“I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been [led] to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me.

“She’s strong, she’s loved, and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I know in my heart she’s going to be just fine. Godspeed, my sissy Dolly. We all love you!”

After shocked fans took to social media expressing worry about Parton’s health, her sister said in a second post on Wednesday: “I want to clear something up. I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly.

“She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer. It was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister.”

It comes after Parton announced in September that she had to postpone her upcoming Las Vegas residency over “health challenges”.

“As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures,” the singer said at the time.

“As I joked with them, it must be time for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon!”

Parton said she was postponing the shows because she is “not going to be able to rehearse and put together the show that I want you to see. You pay good money to see me perform, and I want to be at my best for you”.

The country star was set to perform six shows at Caesars Palace in December, but her performance dates have been moved to September 2026.

“Don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet,” Parton said as she announced the postponement of her shows. “But I believe he is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you.”

Entertainment

Robin Williams’s daughter begs people to stop sending her AI videos of her father

Published

2 days ago

October 7, 2025

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Robin Williams's daughter begs people to stop sending her AI videos of her father

The daughter of late actor Robin Williams has begged people to stop sending her AI-generated “slop” of her father.

“Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad,” actor and director Zelda Williams wrote on Instagram on Monday.

“To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to ‘this vaguely looks and sounds like them so that’s enough’, just so other people can churn out horrible TikTok slop puppeteering them is maddening.”

She described the videos as “disgusting, over-processed hotdogs” made from the lives of human beings.

“You’re […] shoving them down someone else’s throat hoping they’ll give you a little thumbs up and like it. Gross,” she wrote.

It’s not the first time Williams has written about the impact of people sending her content about her father on social media.

In 2020, on the anniversary of her father’s death, Williams posted on Instagram saying:

“While I am constantly touched by all of your boundless continued love for him, some days it can feel a bit like being seen as a roadside memorial – a place, not a person – where people drive past and leave their sentiments to then go about their days comforted their love for him was witnessed.”

“But sometimes, that leaves me emotionally buried under a pile of others’ memories instead of my own.”

The death of Robin Williams in 2014, an actor and comedian known for his quick wit and wisdom, triggered a global outpouring of grief and tributes to the star still frequently surface on social media to this day.

In 2023, Zelda appealed for the end of AI-generated content, saying in a widely-reported post on Instagram:

“I’ve witnessed for YEARS how many people want to train these models to create/recreate actors who cannot consent, like Dad. This isn’t theoretical, it is very very real.”⁠
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“I’ve already heard AI used to get his ‘voice’ to say whatever people want and while I find it personally disturbing, the ramifications go far beyond my own feelings.”