Florence Pugh Sets Set Rules: 'Don't Be Rude, Don't Be a Misogynist'

Florence Pugh has drawn a hard line on film-set behavior, telling Elle magazine: "Show up on time, don't be rude, don't be a misogynist." The interview covers her growth as a leading actor, her three major releases closing out the year, and her public fight over the Cornell 7 case — and her language leaves no room for misreading.

What did Pugh say about leading a film set?

Pugh told Elle that confidence on set came gradually. "Every time I work on a movie, I get more confident in the way that I can protect myself and the way that I can lead a film set, and just not stand for bullshit anymore. I'm not doing it," she said.

She was specific about what she now refuses: "I'm not standing for bullshit behavior. I'm not standing for bullshit attitude. I'm not allowing for people to be rude to the crew. You just get bolder and bigger and more confident with time, and you want to be around and work with the right people. And the moment someone is making that vibe feel off, everybody feels it."

The Oscar nominee framed professionalism as a filter, not a demand for special treatment. "I don't want to deal with messy," she said. "It's just about surrounding yourself with professionals who have the same way of working in mind: Show up on time, don't be rude, don't be a misogynist."

Note what she did not say: she named no individuals, no productions and no specific incidents. The complaint is general; the standards are concrete.

Why did she speak out about the Cornell case?

Pugh generated perhaps more headlines this year for publicly condemning the Cornell 7 — the name given online to seven male students accused of drugging and gang raping a female classmate at Cornell University in October 2024 — than for any film role. She also called out Instagram for censoring her initial posts on the matter.

She has not softened. "No one fucking censors me," she told Elle. "Don't even try. That's just going to add fuel to the fire."

Pugh said she was compelled to speak out "because I'm a woman who cares about women. I care about women I know, and I care about women I don't know. And if we allow for stories like that to become in any way normal, then we are allowing ourselves to continue toward that destiny of abuse and rape being accepted as a norm."

She went further, rejecting any notion that the subject should fade with the news cycle: "Rape can never ever be a conversation that we move on from. It has to be something that we look at, face-on, and we demand justice, accountability, and for the rapist to see what they have done to someone's life. Because if we don't, we're accepting it. And I don't ever, ever, ever want to live in a world where we move on from it easily."

What does this change for Pugh's career?

The remarks arrive at the peak of a crowded stretch. Her acclaimed performance in Netflix's "East of Eden" is being followed by two expected blockbusters: "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Dune: Part Three," both slated for release on Dec. 18.

What does this change for the actor's standing? Very little, on the evidence of the source. Pugh already has the clout to attach herself to major franchises; she is now stating publicly that she intends to use it — to protect crews, to set conduct standards, and to keep the Cornell case in public view regardless of platform moderation. Studios and casting directors reading the Elle profile know the terms in advance: punctuality, courtesy, no misogyny.

Whether those terms hold on every set is a question the interview cannot answer. Pugh's own framing is conditional — "the moment someone is making that vibe feel off, everybody feels it" — and her track record this year, from Netflix to the Cornell posts, suggests she is willing to act on it.

The full profile runs on Elle magazine's website.