Florence Pugh pens heartfelt note to celebrate 'East of Eden' release

Florence Pugh is marking the end of a six-year journey as her new Netflix miniseries, East of Eden, is released.

On Thursday, October 1, Zoe Kazan’s TV adaptation of John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel finally hit the small screens, with Pugh in the lead role of Cathy Ames. Celebrating the release, the Oscar-nominated actress took to Instagram to reflect on her experience playing Cathy.

“This one is a big one for me. I’ve been working on this project for six years, I signed on early 2020 and today it’s been released for all of you to enjoy/consume/devour.. However you like to watch things. Hah,” she wrote.

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“Not only can I believe how much life has happened in that time, but just how much this role required me to evolve,” the 30-year-old added as she gave a shout-out to the “extraordinary crew.”

Pugh also expressed her love for New Zealand, where filming took place. “New Zealand, I’m so so in love with you. I will sing your praises forever and ever. What a true honour it was to film there, thank you for your landscapes, food, people, history, love. You have so much love!” she wrote.

The Little Women star paid tribute to her character: “To my darling Cathy, thank you for making me a better actor. Playing you required me to dig deeper and it demanded every single cell of my body to focus on only you. And for that, I’m so proud as it’s made one of my most vulnerable performances and experiences to date.”

Pugh ended the note by sharing her admiration for showcreator Zoe Kazan, calling her “my protector, my work wife, my cheerleader, my confidence.” 

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