Florence Pugh has revealed her unexpected take on the ending to Ari Aster's hit horror film Midsommar, saying she has "a different version" to the director.
Released in 2019, Midsommar follows Dani (Pugh) and her toxic boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor), as the young couple travel to a small village in Sweden to experience a midsummer festival which soon spirals into a nightmarish experience for the pair and their friends.
The shocking ending sees Dani being crowned May Queen, after which she is given the opportunity to choose a midsummer sacrifice. Dani (seemingly) chooses her horrible boyfriend and the film's iconic ending takes place.
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The final scene of the film sees Dani, donning an enormous flowery gown and floral crown, watching the fire that has taken Christian's life. After first seeming to experience grief, a smile creeps onto Dani's face, suggesting that she was pleased to see Christian die.
Speaking about the ending in an interview with WIRED, Pugh said she had a different take on the iconic scene to the movie's own director. Asked what her character saw at the end of the movie, Pugh said: "So I have a different version to Ari, the director."
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The Dune and Oppenheimer star continued: "The idea is that she's now gone through a psychotic break. From the moment she chooses, I believe accidentally, Christian, her boyfriend, to get burnt, she keeps on waking up and going back into this, like, psychotic break.
"And when that moment at the end happens, where everything is going up in flames, I tried to embody what I was like when I was five on Bonfire Night.
"And just how exciting it was to see flames, and I wanted to revert back to a very, very small and simple life of how simple things made and make children feel. Because in that moment, I presumed that she wasn't there anymore."
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
