Florence Pugh has opened up about Netflix’s East of Eden and its adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic novel. The actress takes on the role of Cathy Ames in the upcoming limited series. Pugh has now explained why she sees more complexity in the character.
East of Eden star Florence Pugh breaks down Cathy Ames’ contradictions
Florence Pugh believes there is more to Cathy Ames than being a simple monster. Speaking to Deadline at Netflix’s East of Eden New York premiere, Pugh discussed the character’s complicated nature.
Pugh explained how Zoe Kazan’s scripts helped explore Cathy more deeply. She said, “I think truly through Zoe’s scripts and the understanding that we wanted to dig deeper, and we wanted to go back and understand the context of why she is the way that she is, and once you open one door to feeling sympathy for someone, the rest really open for themselves.”
Pugh said Cathy has suffered greatly while also hurting others, making her both frightening and sympathetic. “You know, she’s a woman that has a lot of awful things happen to her. Yes, of course, she does a lot of awful things to other people, but she can be both. She can be someone that we are horrified by and also someone that we have empathy for.”
The limited series stars Pugh as Cathy Ames. Netflix adaptation moves beyond the traditional depiction of Cathy as purely evil. Instead, the series explores her hidden emotional layers and contradictions.
This gives Pugh more room to portray the character from different perspectives. The adaptation had its New York premiere at the Plaza Hotel. Netflix’s series offers a fresh interpretation of Steinbeck’s 1952 literary classic.
Created by Zoe Kazan, the new version puts more focus on Cathy Ames. Florence Pugh leads a cast including Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, Ciarán Hinds, Hoon Lee, Martha Plimpton, Joseph Zada, Tracy Letts, and Joe Anders.
East of Eden arrives on Netflix on October 1, 2026.
