Florence Pugh Says Marvel Didn’t Want Her to Jump Off the World’s Second Tallest Building Due to ‘Thunderbolts’ Insurance Risk; She Emailed Kevin Feige: ‘It’ll Do Wonders for the Press Tour’

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Florence Pugh repeatedly wrote emails to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige expressing her desire to perform a daring stunt herself instead of using a stunt double during filming for the “Thunderbolts” scene featuring her character, Yelena Belova. This particular scene involved jumping from the Merdeka 118 building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – the second tallest structure worldwide, standing at approximately 2,722 feet high. Excited by the prospect of heights, Pugh was insistent on performing the jump herself.

Pugh mentioned that she had read all emails concerning the project. As per the script, it was planned for us to film a scene from the second tallest building in the world. However, as we approached the shooting date, they expressed doubts about whether the project would go ahead due to a complex insurance issue. Pugh was taken aback when she heard this, thinking ‘What on earth?’ Of course we should proceed! We can’t back down from such an exciting opportunity.

She persistently emailed Kevin [Feige], sounding assertive and suggesting it would be beneficial for the press tour. She emphasized the importance of the action, explaining they’d aim to set three separate Guinness World Records with three women. She outlined their plans, and when she continued to advocate, they finally agreed, saying, ‘If you want to leap from the second tallest building, we’ll work it out.’ Heights don’t bother her, in fact, she enjoys them, but this was a completely new challenge and utterly insane. The mental fortitude she needed that day was like having a superpower of its own.

Pugh stated that leaping from the world’s second tallest structure demanded an intense surge of adrenaline, so much so that “I ended up sleeping for three hours following the performance as my mind seemed to have exhausted itself.

Tom Cruise, well-known for his daring feats, climbed the record-breaking Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai while filming “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” in 2011. This death-defying stunt is still one of the iconic moments during Tom Cruise’s portrayal of Ethan Hunt in the popular and long-lasting action series.

In the film “Thunderbolts,” Pugh will be sharing the screen with Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. This Marvel blockbuster focuses on a group of the MCU’s morally ambiguous characters who are compelled to work together for a perilous mission.

“Thunderbolts*” opens in theaters May 2 from Disney and Marvel Studios.

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2025-04-15 03:46