Early roles (2014–2018) While still studying in
sixth form, Pugh made her professional acting debut in the 2014 drama,
The Falling, playing a precocious teenager opposite
Maisie Williams. Tara Brady of
The Irish Times deemed Pugh "remarkable", while
IndieWire's Oliver Lyttelton called her "striking". In the same year, Pugh was nominated for Best British Newcomer at the
BFI London Film Festival as well as for Young British / Irish Performer of the Year by the
London Film Critics' Circle. The next year, she was cast as a singer-songwriter in the
dramedy pilot
Studio City, co-starring
Eric McCormack as the character's father. The pilot was not picked up to series. Pugh later characterised her experience on
Studio City negatively due to pressures to change her appearance. In 2016, Pugh starred in the independent drama
Lady Macbeth, a film based on
Nikolai Leskov's novella
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, and appeared in the first series of the
ITV detective series
Marcella. The role earned her acclaim. She won the
BIFA for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film for the role. In 2018, Pugh was nominated for the
BAFTA Rising Star Award at the
71st British Academy Film Awards. She then played
Cordelia to
Anthony Hopkins's titular
King Lear in
Richard Eyre's television film
King Lear and appeared in the short film
Leading Lady Parts in support of the
Time's Up initiative. Later that year, Pugh portrayed
Elizabeth de Burgh in the
Netflix historical film
Outlaw King, co-starring
Chris Pine as
Robert the Bruce. Charles Bramesco of
The Guardian found her to be "excellent despite her thankless role". She next starred in a
six-part miniseries adaptation of
John le Carré's spy novel
The Little Drummer Girl, in which she played an actress who becomes embroiled in an espionage plot. Her performance was met with praise. While divided on the series overall,
Richard Lawson of
Vanity Fair called Pugh "terrific throughout" and added that she "smartly mixes earthiness with sophistication, wisdom with naïveté."
Breakthrough and critical recognition (2019–present) Pugh starred in three major films in 2019, during which she was recognised as having experienced an international breakthrough. She first played professional wrestler
Paige in
Fighting with My Family, a comedy-drama about Paige's career. The film premiered at the
2019 Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews. Geoffrey Macnab of
The Independent called Pugh "completely convincing as the wrestler", adding that she showed "the same defiance, scruffy glamour and self-deprecating humour as the real life ... Paige". Pugh next headlined
Ari Aster's horror film
Midsommar, which chronicles an American couple, played by her and
Jack Reynor, who travel to Sweden and encounter a cult. Critics complimented Pugh's portrayal of the desolate Dani Ardor, with
David Edelstein of
Vulture calling it "amazingly vivid". In her final film release of the year, Pugh starred in
Little Women, a
period drama film adaptation of
Louisa May Alcott's
novel of the same name directed by
Greta Gerwig. She portrayed
Amy March, a fickle artist, from age 12 into adulthood, and has said that the character is in a "sweet spot of not knowing how to deal with her emotions". The film received critical acclaim and grossed $209 million. In his review, David Rooney of
The Hollywood Reporter praised the "disarming grace, humor and a willful streak that grows almost imperceptibly into wisdom" with which Pugh managed the part's "tricky contradictions". Pugh earned nominations for the
BAFTA and
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. Pugh portrayed
Yelena Belova, a spy, in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film
Black Widow. She said the film was about "girls who are stolen from around the world". Released in 2021, it garnered positive reviews from critics, who highlighted Pugh's performance.
Caryn James of
BBC Culture credited Pugh for making Belova "the most vibrant person in the film, more lived-in than most action-movie characters". She reprised the role in the
Disney+ series
Hawkeye later in the year. In 2022, Pugh starred in the thriller ''
Don't Worry Darling, directed by Olivia Wilde, and the drama The Wonder'', an adaptation of
Emma Donoghue's
namesake novel. While filming the former, she allegedly clashed with Wilde, causing her to limit the amount of promotion she did for the film. ''Don't Worry Darling'' premiered at the
79th Venice International Film Festival, where critics deemed Pugh's performance superior to the film. In her final release of the year, she voiced
Goldilocks in the
DreamWorks animated film
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which earned over $480 million worldwide.
Zach Braff's drama film
A Good Person (2023), in which Pugh starred as a car crash survivor, marked her first producing venture. Instead of opting for a wig, Pugh cut off her own hair for the part. She also wrote and sang two songs, "The Best Part" and "I Hate Myself", for the film's soundtrack. In
Christopher Nolan's biographical film
Oppenheimer, starring
Cillian Murphy in the
title role, Pugh played
Communist Party USA member
Jean Tatlock.
Empires Dan Jolin wrote that she "elegantly dominate[s] her few scenes". With a worldwide gross of over $967 million,
Oppenheimer is Pugh's highest-grossing release. Released in 2024, the film garnered positive reviews and grossed over $711 million worldwide.
Andrew Garfield and Pugh starred as a couple navigating cancer in
John Crowley's romantic drama
We Live in Time. Glenn Whipp of the
Los Angeles Times deemed her performance to be the production's prime asset. In 2025, Pugh reprised the role of Yelena Belova in
Thunderbolts*. She insisted on filming the scene where Belova jumps from the top of
Merdeka 118 without using stunt doubles.
Marvel Studios was initially reluctant to allow Pugh to perform the stunt due to insurance concerns, but after her persistent efforts, including discussions with
Kevin Feige, she was permitted to perform the jump. Pugh stated her reasoning being: "It’s our duty as actors to protect and defend your characters and to put in the life. There’s so much that’s on the page, but it’s really what you add to it in the last 20% that actually makes every character that any actor plays. There’s so many -isms that I was very welcomed into putting into the movie." The film and Pugh's performance received positive reviews from critics. Pugh will next play the lead role of
Cathy Ames in a
limited series adaptation of
John Steinbeck's novel
East of Eden and will reprise her roles as Yelena Belova in
Avengers: Doomsday and Princess Irulan in
Dune: Part Three. ==Public image==