Academy Award-nominated actress Florence Pugh was left shaken after her car was targeted by thieves who smashed their way into the vehicle after the Thunderbolts premiere
Florence Pugh’s van was smashed(Image: Dave Benett/WireImage)
Thunderbolts star Florence Pugh became the victim of a robbery in London when masked thieves broke into a van she and her family were using after the UK premiere of her new Marvel film.
The actress had just attended the glamorous Leicester Square premiere of Thunderbolts, accompanied by her grandmother Pat and boyfriend, Peaky Blinders star Finn Cole, when turmoil erupted outside the afterparty venue near the Strand.
In frightening scenes, two men clad in balaclavas arrived on a motorbike and shattered the windows of one of the five black Mercedes vans that had transported Florence and her family. The robbers reportedly made off with a laptop and mobile phone before escaping the scene.
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A witness told the Sun: “Florence and her family and friends pulled up in five Mercedes vans to the after-party.
Not long after they’d gone inside, a motorbike with two blokes in balaclavas pulled up and they smashed out a side window of one of the vans.
Florence’s van was smashed at a film premiere(Image: Dave Benett/WireImage)
Robbers reportedly made off with a laptop(Image: PA)
“The chauffeurs who were driving the vans didn’t have a chance to do anything, it all happened so quickly. They got inside and made off with a laptop and a mobile phone from the middle seats.
“Luckily, Florence and her friends and family, including her gran, were inside and weren’t affected, but it was still shocking. London is becoming lawless and these thieves seem to know exactly where their targets are.”
Images from the scene reveal one of the vans with its rear windows hastily covered with bin bags following the audacious theft. Despite the incident, Florence, known for her role as assassin Yelena Belova in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, didn’t let it disrupt her plans.
Just a few hours post-incident, she was spotted grinning for the cameras at another promotional event at the Corinthia Hotel, donning a black leather dress and accompanied by fellow actors David Harbour, Lewis Pullman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the break-in had been reported. A spokesperson stated: “A 35-year-old man reported his car had been broken into overnight on Tuesday, April 22, with a phone and laptop allegedly stolen from inside. No arrests have been made yet.”
This incident has sparked renewed concerns over safety in London.
Florence Pugh has previously expressed feeling “a lot of pressure” regarding her role in Thunderbolts due to fans’ preconceived notions of her character, Yelena.
She confessed to PA: “There’s a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure when you’re doing any Marvel creation. I think what you have to balance and understand is that the character you’re playing has been loved by people before you even stepped into those shoes.
“And even if Marvel had given you the opportunity to give it a go, people will have their own preconceived ideas of what they want that character to be. So it’s a huge responsibility, and it’s not something that should be taken lightly, and it’s not something that you should just expect people to like, and that’s part of the challenge and part of the joy of being a part of something so mega.”
