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‘East of Eden’ Star Florence Pugh’s Tudum Magazine Shoot Is Pure Black-and-White Drama

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Florence Pugh has come a long way as a fashion-shoot subject. She has said that in the beginning, posing for magazines left her feeling lost and self-conscious in designer clothes, because she didn’t yet know how to make them work. Over time she learned how to work with her body, how to pose and eventually how to advocate for herself on set.

That experience shows in her latest Tudum Magazine shoot, which arrives at a major moment for her career. Her new limited series is landing on Netflix, and the streamer’s own magazine has given her the cover treatment to match.

On October 1, Tudum Magazine shared images of ‘East of Eden’ star. The black-and-white frames are moody and sculptural, and they pack plenty of drama into just two pictures.

In the first, Pugh is photographed in profile against a bright white background, her hair piled in an loose, upswept style that frames her face. The second is a full-length portrait with a dark backdrop. She wears an oversized black hat and a strapless black dress with straps wrapped across the bodice and a sheer, sweeping train, with one foot propped on a stool.

Other images from the shoot, published alongside the cover story on Tudum, lean into the same theatrical mood. They show a dramatic feathered headpiece, a decorative lace blindfold and a distressed dress with wire skirt elements, all shot in black and white.

Jackson is a British photographer who shoots between New York, London and beyond. He studied sculpture at Chelsea School of Art and worked as first assistant and studio manager to David Sims. He is a regular contributor to i-D and has also shot for The Last Magazine, Self Service and T: The New York Times Style Magazine.

His background in sculpture helps explain the architectural feel of the Pugh images. He has photographed her before too, with credits listing him on her US Vogue February 2020 cover story.

The timing is no accident. The magazine story, titled “Florence Pugh Found Herself East of Eden” and written by Krista Smith, accompanies the Netflix release of ‘East of Eden’. Zoe Kazan’s seven-episode adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel began streaming on October 1.

Pugh plays Cathy Ames, the enigmatic antiheroine at the heart of the story. Christopher Abbott and Mike Faist play Adam and Charles Trask, whose lives become entangled with hers. Pugh was first linked to the project in 2022, and she also serves as an executive producer.

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Kazan wrote and executive produced all seven episodes. Her grandfather, filmmaker Elia Kazan, directed a 1955 film adaptation starring James Dean, but she took a different approach. She told Tudum that the story “needs to be epic and intimate,” a goal that matches the scale and personal tone of the shoot.

The series was filmed extensively in New Zealand, which was used to recreate Steinbeck’s setting in early 20th-century California. For Pugh, it is also new territory, since she charts decades of a woman’s life across the run. According to Tudum, she has described playing female characters who were previously unliked in literature and film as a bit of a signature of hers.

Pugh made her film debut in ‘The Falling’ in 2014 and led the 2016 drama ‘Lady Macbeth’. She later appeared in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Little Women’, played Yelena Belova in ‘Black Widow’ and starred in ‘Don’t Worry Darling’. That range makes a role like Cathy a natural next step.

The Tudum images also reflect how far she has come from those early insecure shoots. Instead of looking for ways to fit into the clothes, she now commands the frame, whether that means a bold silhouette, a theatrical hat or a dramatic profile.

With ‘East of Eden’ now streaming and the cover story out, Pugh has the kind of moment that pairs strong images with a major role. The photos set the tone before a single episode is pressed play.

Which element of the shoot grabs your attention most?

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