Florence Pugh Had a Very Awkward Moment While Filming Oppenheimer

Summary

• Oppenheimer is one of 2023's most memorable releases.
• The movie explores the stories of many more people who were present in Oppenheimer's life, including Florence Pugh's Jean Tatlock.
• There was an incident on set during the filming of a sex scene involving Pugh.
• The actress was not upset by the mishap.

The ultimate leader in nominations in the upcoming 96th Academy Awards race, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer was destined for success from the start. As one of the most anticipated films of 2023, the biopic made a huge splash when it premiered last summer in competition with Greta Gerwig's Barbie.

And while Oppenheimer didn't manage to surpass Barbie's $1.4 billion financial windfall, it grossed a staggering $960 million at the box office.

Named after the inventor of the first atomic bomb, Oppenheimer tells the story of the genius behind the creation of the weapon and its aftermath. And while the film focuses on the titular character, it also delves into the lives of the people who accompanied the scientist along the way. One such person was Jean Tatlock, Oppenheimer's love interest, a trained psychiatrist and registered member of the Communist Party USA, whose unfortunate fate deserves a movie of its own.

In Oppenheimer, Tatlock is played by Florence Pugh of Little Women fame. And her performance is arguably one of the most compelling parts of the movie. But as smooth as it looks on screen, it was quite a challenge to film. In particular, the actress was put in an uncomfortable position during one of the scenes.

An Incident During a Delicate Scene

'In the middle of our sex scene, the camera broke. No one knows this, but it did. Our camera broke when we were both naked, and it was not ideal timing. And there weren't many cameras,' Florence Pugh shared during a recent panel with her co-stars.

According to the actress, Christopher Nolan immediately tried to help the situation by asking for another camera, but to no avail as the camera was being fixed.

'We had to figure out how to fix this camera. Cillian and I are in this room together. It's a closed set, so we're both holding our bodies like this,' she said, cuddling herself.

No Reason to Get Upset

Per Pugh's account, 'a camera surgeon' came to the rescue while the two actors were still naked. However, the actress took the situation in stride.

'I'm like, "Well, this is my moment to learn. So, tell me, what's wrong with this camera?" Like, you just make your moments. And I'm like, "What's going on with the shutter here, buddy?" Anyway, he explains and actually Chris comes in and tells me it's because the light is coming in wrong. It's just crazy that every person on the set was so knowledgeable and was so ready to make this kind of a movie that there was no dull moment. It was all amazing,' Florence Pugh added.

In the end, the scene in question turned out to be one of the most powerful and memorable. The movie itself was nominated for thirteen Oscars, and some of that can be attributed to Pugh's performance.

Source: Universal Pictures Awards.