Florence Pugh on Yelena, Thunderbolts* and drenching Hailee Steinfeld in hot sauce "I’m speechless!"

I was surprised I didn't get to, and I do love it when you do it as Elena. Hi. Hello. Now, Florence, you know I have an unfortunate people-pleasing habit of bringing you gifts. Oh, I love it so much. Okay, let's pick from this. Okay. First up, we have some Tonics wafers. Oh, the best. All right, putting that there. No, those are actually the best. They're actually the best. I really hope you like this. Biscuit flavoured, Yorkshire. Have you? You've never, have you? I'm speechless. It's taken my breath away. Trust me. Biscuit brew. It tastes like biscuits. I've actually developed now a cough from it because it took my breath away. What? I should confess something. I had found you a rescuer's Christmas ornament. It has not arrived in time. So you may be noticing... Yeah, I know. You may be noticing a theme, which is stuff I had in my cupboards. I love it. So far, your cupboards are really fun. If you have caramels and biscuit brews... Tonics wafers. I mean, there's no diet at your house. Clearly, yes. Now, can you do the catch as well as you did the catch in Hawkeye? Hi. Best of luck. Wait, make sure the screw's off. Ready? You know that's what happened with Hayley? All of you? No. If the thing was open and as she threw it, it went all in her hair on like the second take. And I caught it and she was like, and there's sriracha in my hair. It was like everywhere. Reset to one. Yep. All right. Best of luck, everybody. Hi. No one? Nothing. Oh, dude. My pleasure. Some might call it sucking up. I just know... No. These are just gifts for a friend that you know will like them. It's that annoying thing where I just kept going, I mean, yeah, she'll love that. And she will love that. What's the orange lid, though? Oh, um... Tell me. Yeah, Yuzu. All right, should we do our jobs? Please. So here's the big question. Elena. Hi, Len. You're Elena? Yep. How the heck did that happen? How the heck did I get that role? So it was years ago now, in 2019. And it was a long, long process. We were talking for a long time. And part of the things with Marvel movies is obviously you're never really allowed to know what's going on in the script. You're not really allowed to know anything. And I think that was part of the reason why there were so many conversations. It was because I was like, can you just let me know a little bit, please? No. Okay. And then we went back and forth for a while. And then eventually I got the story and I got the premise. And it just, it all made so much sense. So we're going to talk like grown-ups? Is that what we are? And I just felt like, regardless of it being a Marvel movie, I was so impressed with what it was trying to say, and what Scarlet was trying to say, and what Kate Shortland was trying to say with these characters. Do you believe me now? How many others? Enough. And then it just made it even more impressive that it was a Marvel movie that was going to reach so many people. And they had a message that they were really, really stood very solid on telling. That wasn't real. Who cares? Don't say that. Please don't say that. It was real. It was real to me. You are my mother. And I didn't expect to be doing a Marvel movie at that point in my career. I didn't think I was going to do one that young either. Interesting. I kind of always in my head, I was like, this is something that I'd really be into because I love stunts and I love the craft. And those movies have always been so epic. I didn't think it was going to happen that early. And then when I was getting all of the material together, like all of the dots started connecting. And then, you know, once you step into the Marvel universe, when you step into that family, it really is the most supportive space. And when I stepped into playing Yelena with Black Widow, I really couldn't have had a better teammate to welcome me into that world. Oh, you two. Like Scarlet, it's funny looking back on it because at the time I knew that it was special because it felt special. I don't know where this is going. But looking back at that time, she was so graceful and gracious and grateful and so welcoming that I don't think many people would be that welcoming. Don't. Don't what? You're going to give me some big hero speech. I can feel it. Speeches aren't really my thing. It was more like an invitation. If you think about what the nature of that movie was, it was her standalone movie, but it was also giving me the opportunity to go forward. Handing the baton. Exactly. And I'm sure plenty of people maybe wouldn't have been as kind as she was. And she believed in me. She really, really believed in me. And I didn't quite understand the assignment. I didn't know what was going to come. And I kept on saying, I remember I kept saying on set, like, well, you know, if the fans like what I've done with the role, because obviously when you're stepping into a role like this, it's a comic book. And it's a comic character. And a lot of people already have ideas of how they want the role to be played and who she is and what her story is and the way that she is. And I was just always second guessing if people were going to like my version of her, if people were going to understand what I was doing. And she always had faith. And it's a wonderful thing to look back on. Quite goddamn right. That footage of you guys on the back of the bike, just cracking each other up. Absolutely love it. And I've got to say, there are some moments that strike me in that film as being pure Florence. Like you breathing on the helicopter. Oh, it makes me so happy because that I did in rehearsals. You did? Yeah, it wasn't written in the script. We were doing rehearsals and I was like, so I guess I just stand here. And Kate was laughing. And I was like, I mean, what am I going to do? Like if I'm breathing on a helicopter? And then I went over to the helicopter and breathed on it. She was like, well, we're putting that in. Oh, I stashed that like five years ago. You chewing on the granola. Yes. How is it? It's dry. It's really dry. Oh, I really like, this is a silly thing to say, you with your dog, Elena's dog, Fanny. Come on, Fanny. At the end. Love that outfit. Yeah. Love that outfit. Me too. She's a groovy gal. All the Crimson Dynamo bits. The only thing you care about are your stupid glory days is the Crimson Dynamo and no one wants to hear about it. I felt like there was a lot of you in it. Yeah. Get out. What would you say though, and this is a silly question, have been the coolest moments for you as the character? Because you've had a few. Like in Hawkeye, you jumping off that building. That was pretty cool. Yeah. The car door. Pretty cool. Yeah. I'm going to finish this sentence. And the beginning, it was just too cool. And the beginning of Thunderbolts, you leap off another building. I know. Just a void. You've got a few. I mean, shout out to the Stunties, obviously, but... Oh, huge. Oh my God. Okay, it goes without saying that, I mean, and I need to say it, none of any of what you just said would be possible without amazing Stunties, amazing Stunt Teams, fantastic Stunt Coordinators, and the sheer brilliance and bravery of every single person that not only does the stunt, but also has faith in me to learn how to do it and teach me. So thank you to all of you. That's like massive hands down thank you. But yeah, she's had a few. And think of like, how crazy is it that I get to do that for my job? I know. How amazing that I get to do all of those things for my job. And I've jumped off the second tallest building in the world. Ready, and three, two, one, go. And I got to do that, and people trusted me doing that, and they were happy with me doing that. I mean, I don't think they were happy with me doing it, but they certainly believed that I could do it, which is so mental. You do. Like, neither of us are ever going to have a day like this ever again. Do you get fans quoting the lines at you? Because she has such a way. She does have such a way. The assignment is... Oh, wait, hang on. Of delivering the best lines so dryly. So, like, pure deadpan snark. Deadpan snark. This would be a cool way to die. This would be a... Yeah. You know, this is the first piece of clothing I've ever bought for myself. It has pockets. Okay, it has a lot of pockets. Do you get... Because you kind of can't wear pockets anymore, can you? But I use them all the time, and I made some of my own modifications. Because people will say... Everybody says, do you... Yeah, exactly. Where are the pockets? Weather. I just think... The thing about Yelena is I've always got to... I don't have to remind myself, it is just her. She is someone that hasn't been able to live, like, normal life properly. And so when she got out of her... I mean, her entrapment, I suppose, she was able to experience things really fresh-faced and young for the first time. Shut up. The point is I've never had control over my own life before, and now I do. I want to do things. Which is why her style is so amazingly eclectic and bonkers, which is why she's always practicing different things with her makeup. It's why she's excited by pockets. I like your vest. God, I knew it. I knew you did. It's so cool, right? It's cool, yes. All women are excited by pockets. She's extra excited about pockets because she can put fun things in them. And you can put so much stuff in there. You wouldn't even know. And it's allowing yourself to be young and zingy and excited for the most random of things, as if you'd never lived like that before. It's the old soul, young soul. Yeah, exactly. Live for it. She can be a moody, late teen sort of vibe. Yeah. You just didn't want your baby sister to tag along whilst you saved the world with the cool kids. You weren't really my sister. And world weary. Yeah. Quite rightly at the same time. And the Avengers aren't really your family. She also loves a good swear. Oh yeah, always. Bullshit. Yeah. And in a Marvel film, that's a double privilege, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It is. You're so right. I was allowed to put a load of shits in there. Yeah, you bloody were. Elena, you look awful. You sure you're really ready for that public facing role you asked me about? Eat shit, Valentino. And you get that really fun stuff with Hawkeye where you come in and just steal a bunch of scenes. Like you mentioned, we've talked about the sriracha stuff, but like, you know, that whole sort of lift stuff. No. And then the whole hallway fight. Give me a minute. Like that's just... Thank you. It's a good vibe. Thank you so much. It's a good time. She's fun to play. Yeah. She's very, very fun to play. And it beams off the screen. I'll have you know, I was actually the official Captain America, so... Yeah, for like two seconds. And with this movie, Thunderbolts, it's not a spoiler. There's a lot of darkness in it. No one here is a hero. We all have things that we regret. But I have so many. But you still have the light. It still beams off you. I'm wondering who on set, both in this film and generally, do you most enjoy getting to break? Does it like make them laugh? Because David Harbour for me, I'd be absolutely... Get him gone. I need him laughing. I love that guy. Um, him. Oh my god, Lewis. Getting so tense in here. And Lewis is the funniest person to break. Who are you? I'm Bob. Because his face, he can't... It's so readable. Everything that he does is you just clock every single emotion. So when he's about to crease, you can see it before he even knows he's going to crease. His whole mouth just starts twitching. It's brilliant. What do you say to people who've just walked out the cinema and seen Thunderbolts? Because they're going to have a look on their face. Like, what can you say? What did you think when you walked out? See, it's hard, isn't it? Shoes on the other foot. Thrilled. Yeah. And I immediately wanted to discuss it with people. Did you? You know why. Why? Because... Because there's something that happens. Things occur. And it's, I'd casually say, the darkest Marvel film. Is that fair? And it's a real... Well, other than the one where everybody dies, obviously. Spoilers! Jesus! That's pretty dark. Wow. Okay. If you haven't seen it... If you haven't seen Endgame, now, I mean... Yeah, Infinity War. Yeah, something happens. What the hell is happening? Side note, you had to act... I know. ...getting snapped. And then coming back. What was that like? Losing your sister. Also, here's a joke. Here's a joke. Here's the thing, is when I first read the Thunderbolts script, there was an iteration where they never really mentioned Natasha. I think the idea was that they wanted people to watch Thunderbolts without having any idea of any previous story, which I also understand. It gets people interested in something without feeling like they're left out. And when I was reading it, I was just like, it's such a fundamental part of Yelena's heart that she was always heartbroken about her sister, which is what Black Widow is about, that her family abandoned her, that her sister left her. Excuse me. My mom and my sister. I should have come back for you. You don't have to say that. It's okay. And then she feels whole again. She's able to feel loved again, and she feels like she's got her hero back, and she has her hero back. Thank you. And the whole idea about her potentially being some version of a superhero is the only reason why that's possible is because she saw her sister, and her sister was in that role. So to lose her again, I can't imagine how much pain that would cause and the trauma that there would just lie within you forever. And that's kind of where we pick her up. There's something wrong with me. We pick her up sometime after her sister's gone. An emptiness. And she's just trying to crack on with life, and it's not working. Nothing's working. I thought it started when my sister died, but now it feels like something bigger. And I think what's really wonderful about what this movie does is there's nothing glamorous about these people, and there's nothing too super about these people that can't make us relate with them. They are humans that go about their very bizarre life with their very odd jobs, and they are in some way broken. They are in some way not feeling whole. And how do those people connect? How do they cope? How do they pick themselves back up? And what happens when you put all of those people together? I can't think of a worse group of people trying to work together. And how do they hopefully eventually help each other? This team can be the heroes on the witness box. With a little giddy part. It's hysterical to watch them attempt it for the first 40 minutes of the movie, because none of them like working in a team. They all know how to work solo, and it's a mess. Put that on the poster. It's a mess. It's? It's a goddamn mess. A mess. It's a mess. Brackets. Really good. Yeah. We are the Thunderbolts! Can't call ourselves that. God, thank you. Quick double check. You have one fork. That was you. Yeah. You have one fork? I'm one person. That's so weird. The wriggle after the pose joke, where you go, disgusting. That's me. Oh, that's disgusting. It's so you. Thank you. Absolutely love it. Thank you. And do you get people doing the whistle? Yeah. There's that. Don't do the frown. I can't handle it. You know I can't. Yeah, the whistle. I'm hoping that I can get that pose back in. It's an orc eye, that's for sure. I would love to be able to get it back in. Okay. Because you know there's going to be whoops and whistles if I do. Not those whistles, but yes whistles. No, not those. I mean, that would be really sad if people did those whistles. But if I managed to get that pose back in, there'd be a few whoops. I believe in you. I am going to say goodbye to you now. Oh no, that was quick. Yeah, I know. How quickly did that go? Yeah, it was actually three hours. It's time for dinner. I'm exhausted. Should we get a dinner? Yeah, let's go. Sriracha? Should we go and have a bollog? Bollog with some sriracha. Bollog, sriracha, some biscuit tea. Or mac and cheese if we're full, Jelena. Instant only, please. Yes, please. All right, off we go. Always a pleasure. Thank you so much. That was far too speedy. Thanks for watching. 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