Florence Pugh's "Favorite" Movie Is This 34-Year-Old Psychological Horror With 95% On Rotten Tomatoes

It’s always fun when big-name stars expand on their favorite films, and Florence Pugh is the latest to provide a surprisingly awesome answer. Since her film debut in 2014’s The Fallen, Florence Pugh’s career has risen to exponential heights, going from well-received A24 horror movies like Midsommar to weighty blockbuster franchises like Dune. Her latest film, the superhero action-thriller Thunderbolts*, has been one of the best-received installments under the Marvel Cinematic Universe banner in recent years, thanks largely to Pugh’s lead performance as Yelena Belova.

Asking Hollywood stars what their favorite films are or who they’d love to play in the future always unearths some revealing answers. After all, knowing what stories film industry darlings grew up with or were influenced by says a lot about their own performances, likely influencing the kinds of characters they specialize in portraying or where their career will take them next. With a filmography as varied and impressive in such a short time as Pugh’s, it was only fitting that she was asked in an interview with RadioTimes what her next ambitions were, revealing a surprising favorite of hers.

Silence Of The Lambs Is Florence Pugh’s Favorite Movie

The British Actress Has Some Great Taste

Surprisingly, Florence Pugh recently gushed about her love of the 1991 horror-thriller The Silence of the Lambs relatively unprompted. Specifically, Pugh was eager to discuss the film in an interview discussing her role in The Little Drummer Girl in 2018, a BBC espionage series starring her alongside Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Shannon.

After considering what kind of character she’d like to play next, she mentioned a role similar to Lady Macbeth, requesting “confused, dazed women who are locked up in mental homes on an island somewhere.” This soon led into Pugh’s love of The Silence of the Lambs, which she attributed as not only her favorite movie, but her favorite book of all time, as well.

“I’d love a Hannibal Lecter. The Silence of the Lambs is my favourite book, favourite film. He’s a great guy.”

She gave special praise to the film’s villain, famously played by Anthony Hopkins, stating “I’d love a Hannibal Lecter. The Silence of the Lambs is my favourite book, favourite film. He’s a great guy.” Widely considered to be one of the greatest horror movies ever, The Silence of the Lambs sees Jodie Foster’s FBI Agent Clarice Starling reluctantly join forces with Hannibal Lecter to help catch a new serial killer.

Florence Pugh Would Be Perfect As A New Take On Hannibal Lecter

Hannah Lecter Is A Genius Idea

Though Pugh obviously might not be much of a physical match for the serial killer cannibal and licensed psychiatrist, she gave some thought as to how she might play a character that spiritually succeeds him. She came up with the idea of a “Hannah Lecter”, ideating “I could be his daughter. Who is also completely insane and happens to enjoy eating flesh off people’s faces.” It’s amazing to see that Florence Pugh has clearly given the idea some amount of thought, crafting a whole successor story that could continue the legacy of the iconic movie villain on her own terms.

It would be amazing to see Florence Pugh’s vision for the next step in Hannibal Lecter’s timeline realized in an actual film at some point in the future, clearly having enough pᴀssion for the idea. Funnily enough, not long after this interview, Pugh did increase her profile with her performance of Dani in the chilling horror film Midsommar, the final villain of the film in a certain sense. Dani may start off as a totally innocent bystander helpless to the surrounding chaos, but by the end of the movie, she’s surrendered her empathy to the murderous Swedish cult.

Florence Pugh’s Most Well-Known Movies	Character
Lady Macbeth (2016)	Katherine
Midsommar (2019)	Dani
Little Women (2019)	Amy March
Black Widow (2021)	Yelena Belova
Don’t Worry Darling (2022)	Alice Chambers
Dune: Part Two (2024)	Irulan Corrino
Thunderbolts* (2025)	Yelena Belova

Still, it’s a shame Pugh still hasn’t had the chance to cut loose in a truly villainous role with the same amount of pop culture sway as Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It’s unlikely that a The Silence of the Lambs spin-off starring her could ever manifest any time soon, with the movie rights to the character still belonging to Amazon MGM Studios. But if there’s one young actress accomplished enough to be worthy of a chance to adapt one of her favorite stories, it’s Florence Pugh.