Hollywood star Florence Pugh has revealed she suffered a terrifying hand injury that left her with missing chunks of flesh while preparing for her latest film role. The 29-year-old actress described the gruesome cooking accident that occurred as she was getting into character for her part in the animated feature The Wild Robot.
The Cooking Crisis
During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Pugh explained how her dedication to method acting nearly cost her fingers. The incident happened while she was chopping vegetables with an extremely sharp Japanese knife, completely immersed in her character's survivalist mindset.
"I was just chopping away, and I was so in it, and I was just like chopping, chopping, chopping," Pugh told the talk show host. The Oscar-nominated actress demonstrated how she'd been holding a carrot when the knife slipped, slicing directly into her fingers. The damage was severe enough that she actually lost pieces of her skin.
Immediate Aftermath and Recovery
Pugh described looking down in horror to see "huge chunks" missing from her hands. Despite the shocking injury, the actress managed to maintain her composure and even continued her character preparation. She recalled thinking, "Well, this is very method. This is very wild."
The injury occurred while Pugh was deep in preparation for voicing the character of a robot mother in The Wild Robot. Her intensive preparation included learning survival skills that her character would need in the wilderness, though the cooking accident was an unexpected and painful side effect.
Professional Impact and Film Details
Fortunately, the injury didn't prevent Pugh from completing her work on the animated film, which is scheduled for release in UK cinemas. The Wild Robot features an impressive voice cast including Pugh, Pedro Pascal, and Lupita Nyong'o, telling the story of a robot who becomes a mother after being shipwrecked on an island.
This isn't the first time Pugh has faced challenges while preparing for a role. The British actress is known for her commitment to her characters, though this particular incident serves as a reminder that method acting can sometimes have very real physical consequences.
Pugh's frank discussion of the accident provides a glimpse into the less glamorous side of film preparation, where even routine activities like cooking can turn dangerous when combined with intense character immersion.
