April 16, 2025: Actress Florence Pugh recently revealed how she pushed Marvel Studios to allow her to perform her own stunts for an exhilarating scene in the upcoming superhero film Thunderbolts. The scene, which features her character, Yelena Belova, jumping off the second tallest building in the world, Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was initially set to be performed by a stunt double due to the height and the intense safety concerns involved.
However, Pugh, who has a love for heights, wasn’t ready to let the stunt go. She took matters into her own hands and emailed Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige directly, insisting that she wanted to be the one to make the leap.
“I got on all the emails. It was in the script, and then slowly as we got closer and closer to shooting, they said they don’t think it’s going to happen because it’s a crazy insurance ordeal and we’re not going to throw me off the second tallest building in the world,” Pugh shared in an interview with Variety.
But Pugh wasn’t easily dissuaded. As filming approached, she continued to push for the stunt, arguing that breaking a Guinness World Record alongside other women in the film would be a monumental moment. After some convincing, the producers finally agreed to let her take the jump herself.
“Okay, if you want to fall off the second tallest building, we’ll figure it out for you,” Pugh recalled them saying.
Despite the adrenaline rush and the mental strength required, Pugh, who enjoys heights, was eager to take on the challenge. “I don’t mind heights. I quite like them and enjoy them, but that was a whole different ballgame and insane. The mental control I had to do that day was its own superpower,” she said.
The jump was so intense that Pugh revealed she was so exhausted afterward that she slept for three hours, her brain needing time to recover from the thrill and the stress. “I fell asleep for three hours after I did the stunt because my brain went down,” she added.
Thunderbolts, which also stars Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, and David Harbour, among others, is set to hit theaters on May 2, 2025. The film marks a significant milestone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it brings together a team of anti-heroes with varying moral compasses, led by Pugh’s character, Yelena Belova.
For fans of action, the breathtaking stunt will surely be a highlight of the film, showcasing Pugh’s dedication to her role and the physicality required to portray a Marvel superhero.