British actress Florence Pugh has described her time making the Netflix mini-series East Of Eden as a “beautiful time”.
The 30-year-old plays Cathy Ames in the adaptation of John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel, which follows two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons. Speaking at a special screening in London, Pugh told the Press Association: “As complicated and as complex as she is, I really did have a beautiful time shooting it.”
Demanding role
Pugh said the role demanded a great deal from her as a performer. “I think it required for me to really show up as a performer, and also just for myself as a person, and required for me to grow up a lot in terms of my process, and making sure that what I’m putting down, I’m completely in control of, and I’ve studied,” she said.
She added: “So even though the process was hard and arduous, I feel like it was a massive labour of love, and the reason why we’ve all loved talking about it for the last two weeks is because we’ve put so much time and effort and energy into it.”
Executive producer role
Pugh, who also serves as executive producer on the show, said she enjoyed taking on both roles as she is “very opinionated”. She explained: “I feel like when you have the right people around you, and you have the right support system, it’s not only wanted but it’s needed.”
She said her relationship with writer Zoe Kazan and her creative process with her “has really allowed for me to grow in confidence in all of those ways that you were just asking about.”
Cast and release
East Of Eden also stars Mike Faist, Christopher Abbott and Joe Anders, the son of actress Kate Winslet and director Sam Mendes. The series launches on Netflix on October 1.
