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

Published

2 years ago

April 29, 2023

admin

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.

Click to subscribe to Backstage wherever you get your podcasts

“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

Glastonbury 2025 line-up revealed

Published

18 hours ago

March 6, 2025

admin

The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo will be among the stars headlining Glastonbury Festival this year, it has been announced.

Glastonbury organisers have revealed the line-up for this summer’s event, taking place between 25 June and 29 June, after months of speculation.

The 1975 will take to the iconic Pyramid Stage on the Friday to headline, then Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young will perform on Saturday and Olivia Rodrigo on the Sunday.

Other big names performing include British pop sensation Charli XCX, rapper Loyle Carner electronic group The Prodigy.

The announcement comes after Sir Rod Stewart was booked for the Sunday teatime legend slot and Young was confirmed as a headliner earlier this year.

Young’s announcement in January came amid some confusion, as he had days before told fans he was pulling out of the festival because the BBC’s involvement was a “corporate turn-off”.

The Canadian singer-songwriter later said this decision was down to “an error in the information I received”.

The 1975 will be headlining for the first time, having made their Glastonbury debut in 2014.

The Cheshire band, known for hits such as Somebody Else and Chocolate, have regularly made headlines due to the antics of frontman Matty Healy.

Glastonbury, which takes place at Worthy Farm in Somerset in the summer, has worked closely with the BBC – its exclusive broadcast partner – since 1997.

Appetite for the esteemed festival saw standard tickets sell out in 35 minutes in November.

They cost £373.50 plus a £5 booking fee, up £18.50 from the price from the 2024 festival, and were sold exclusively through the See Tickets website.

The date for the resale – where tickets not fully paid for are put back up for purchase – is set for some time in spring.

The headliners last summer on the iconic Pyramid Stage were Dua Lipa, SZA and Coldplay, who made history as the first act to headline the festival five times.

2026 is likely to be a year off for Glastonbury, with the festival traditionally taking place four out of every five years, and the fifth year reserved for rehabilitation of the land.

Entertainment

Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX BRIT Awards appearances spark hundreds of Ofcom complaints

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2025

admin

Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX BRIT Awards appearances spark hundreds of Ofcom complaints

Ofcom received 825 complaints over the Brit Awards, with the majority relating to Sabrina Carpenter’s raunchy performance and Charli XCX’s outfit, the media watchdog says.

US pop star Carpenter, 25, sported a red sparkly military-style blazer dress for her performance at the awards show on Saturday night, paired with stockings and suspenders for a rendition of Espresso.

The song was mixed with a Rule Britannia mash-up, as dancers in military parade dress followed her.

She then switched to a red sparkly bra and shorts for her next song, Bad Chem, which she performed alongside dancers in bras and shorts while sitting suggestively on a large bed.

Carpenter later received the global success award at the ceremony, and was also nominated in the international artist and international song of the year categories.

But much of the buzz on social media surrounded her performance, which took place before the 9pm watershed.

Ofcom said some of the complaints were also aimed at British pop sensation Charli XCX, who dominated the night by winning five awards, including album of the year.

Some viewers took issue with her outfit – a black see-through dress.

The singer addressed the concerns during her acceptance speech for artist of the year, saying: “I heard that ITV were complaining about my nipples. I feel like we’re in the era of ‘free the nipple’ though, right?”

Carpenter paid tribute to the UK in her acceptance speech, saying: “The Brits have given me this award, and this feels like such an insane honour in a very primarily tea-drinking country… you really understood my dry sense of humour because your sense of humour is so, so dry. So I love y’all more than you even understand.”

Entertainment

Why is Noel Clarke suing The Guardian?

Published

2 days ago

March 5, 2025

admin

Actor Noel Clarke begins his High Court libel case against The Guardian’s publisher today.

Clarke, 49, is suing Guardian News and Media (GNM) over a series of articles it published about him in April 2021.

They were based on the claims of 20 women Clarke knew “in a professional capacity” who allege his behaviour towards them amounted to sexual misconduct.

Clarke, known for his roles in the Kidulthood trilogy and Dr Who, “vehemently” denies “any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing”.

What will the trial cover?

Clarke is suing GNM for libel, sometimes also referred to as defamation.

It’s a civil tort – not a criminal offence – defined as false written statements that have damaged the person’s reputation. This means Clarke can seek redress or damages but no one will face charges or prison.

Clarke claims the articles The Guardian published in 2021 altered public opinion of him, damaged his reputation, and lost him work.

He said after the allegations emerged: “In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and never had a complaint made against me.

“If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespected, I sincerely apologise. I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing and intend to defend myself against these false allegations.”

The Guardian is defending the claim on the basis of truth and public interest.

It said in its statement: “Our reporting on Noel Clarke in 2021 was based on the accounts of 20 brave women. After we published our first article, more women came forward.

“At trial, 32 witnesses are set to testify against Mr Clarke under oath. We look forward to a judge hearing the evidence.”

The trial will only focus on liability – not the amount of damages to be paid if Clarke is successful.

The actor tried and failed to get the case struck out in January, with his legal team saying it had “overwhelming evidence” of “perversion of the course of justice”.

His lawyers told the High Court three of the journalists involved in the articles had “deliberately and permanently” deleted messages, which meant he could not get a fair trial.

Lawyers for GNM told the court there was “no adequate evidential basis” for Clarke’s application for a strike out and said it sought “to smear Guardian journalists and editors without any proper justification”.

The trial, which will be presided over by judge Mrs Justice Steyn, is expected to last between four and six weeks.

What has happened since the articles were published?

A month before the articles about him were published in April 2021, Clarke received BAFTA’s outstanding contribution to British cinema award.

However, once the allegations against him emerged, he was suspended by the organisation and the prize rescinded.

His management and production company 42M&P told Sky News they were no longer representing him and Sky cancelled its TV show Bulletproof, starring Clarke and Top Boy actor Ashley Walters as the lead roles.

ITV also decided to pull the finale of another of his dramas, Viewpoint, following the Guardian articles.

The Met Police looked into the allegations against Clarke for any potential criminal wrongdoing, but in March 2022 announced they “did not meet the threshold for criminal investigation”.

Clarke filed the libel claim the following month and has attended several of the preliminary hearings in person.

He says he has faced a “trial by media” – and that the ordeal has left him suicidal and in need of professional help.

‘Rising star’

Clarke made his TV debut in a revived version of Auf Wiedersehen Pet in 2002.

Soon after he played Mickey Smith in Dr Who and Kwame in the six-part Channel 4 series Metrosexuality.

He wrote and starred in the film trilogy Kidulthood, Adulthood, and Brotherhood, which were based in west London, where he grew up, and explored the lives of a group of teenagers given time off school after a bullied classmate takes their own life.

It was a box office success and eventually saw Clarke given BAFTA’s rising star prize in 2009.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.