'Almost every female actor has been asked to lose weight'

London: Florence Pugh believes all female actors are asked to lose weight to get a role in a film. The Little Drummer Girl star, who was asked to shed the pounds when she first tried to find work in Hollywood, said she finds the movie industry ''scary'' because of the ways ''lines can get crossed''.

''It would be virtually impossible to find someone who hasn't been asked to (lose weight). Part of what's so scary is that in this industry you are expected to play dress up and so many lines can get crossed if you're in the wrong hands," Pugh said.

The actor, however, has learned a lot from her stint in Hollywood.

"I came away knowing exactly what work I did and didn't want to do and that was a big, grown-up realisation. 'I can't stand characters who don't know what they're doing or why they're there – if they're just on their husband's arm, it kills me," she said.

According to Contactmusic, Pugh also found working on King Lear alongside Emma Thompson and Emily Watson ''empowering''.

''During the Me Too breakthrough, I was hanging out with Emma and Emily. Talking to them was so empowering" she said.