Florence Pugh commands attention in dramatic beaded gown with plunging neckline and semi-sheer flowing cloak as she poses for Valentino in Rome

Florence Pugh commanded attention as she struck a number of dramatic poses on the streets of Rome in Italy for a Valentino photoshoot on Saturday.

The actress, 28, is the fashion company’s latest muse and she looked very glamorous as the camera snapped her as the face of the brand.

Movie star Florence looked stunning in a floor-length beaded chainmail dress with a plunging neckline.

She wore a floaty cream semi-sheer cloak over the top to match the colour of the garment.

Florence could be seen waving the piece through the air as she posed for the camera during the shoot in the Italian capital. 

She wore a pair of gold heels which were visible as she lifted her dress as she walked.

Florence was surrounded by a large crew who tended to her make-up and hair, with her blonde locks slicked back over her head.

The camera followed her around as she posed on the streets against the surroundings of the beautiful European architecture.

Florence has worked with Valentino before, having done a number of shoots for the high-end label.

Last year she experienced controversy when she posed in a sheer pink dress which left her nipples on show.

But she branded the criticism ‘vulgar’, insisting people have become scared of the human body.

The Don’t Worry Darling star wrote on Instagram at the time: ‘What’s been interesting to watch and witness is just how easy it is for men to totally destroy a woman’s body, publicly, proudly, for everyone to see.’

Florence also told Elle: ‘I speak the way I do about my body because I’m not trying to hide the cellulite on my thigh or the squidge in between my arm and my boob: I would much rather lay it all out.

‘I think the scariest thing for me are the instances where people have been upset that I’ve shown ‘too much’ of myself. When everything went down the with Valentino pink dress a year ago, my nipples were on display through a piece of fabric, and it really wound people up.’ 

It comes after Florence made her debut starring in Rachel Chinouriri’s new music video last week after she reached out to the singer on Instagram.

The star, who features in the video as the musician’s best friend, looked incredible as she wore a plunging chainmail mini dress.

In the accompanying video for Rachel’s latest song, Never Need Me, Florence teamed the 90s number with a pair of heels.

She styled her bright blonde hair into a quirky, textured look and topped her outfit off with a grungy makeup palette.

Rachel was nominated for the 2021 Ivor Novello Awards Rising Star Prize, which recognises the achievements and ambition of young musicians in the industry.

Her new track comes ahead of the release of her debut album What A Devastating Turn of Events, due 3rd May via Parlophone/Atlas Artists.

Explaining how her appearance in the music video came about, Florence said: ‘Recently I was in LA and I was listening to a few of her songs and I thought, you know what, I’m actually going to reach out to this amazing artist.

‘I just said “Thank you for making my day today” and then she replied and was also a fan and then this idea came that I was in her music video!’

Rachel added: ‘I made this song with a sense of heartbreak but empowerment. It’s about taking your power back the moment you realise that helping someone is actually hurting you because they aren’t willing to change.

‘Sometimes you end up enabling someone instead of actually helping them and carrying their load is tough.

‘Never Need Me is the moment you wish them well but you can’t continue to harm yourself by helping them.

‘It’s always a tough decision to make but once you make it, it’s a weight lifted off your shoulders for sure.’

Meanwhile Florence’s show The Custom of the Country was cancelled because Apple TV+ bosses didn’t ‘get’ her character.

Producers at the streaming giant decided to pull the plug on the project – which was adapted from Edith Wharton’s classic novel – due to apparent issues with the female protagonist Undine Spragg.

Sofia Coppola, who was set to direct the series, told The New Yorker: ‘Apple just pulled out. They pulled our funding.’

The show, set in the Gilded Age, would have followed Undine, a woman from the Midwest desperately trying to infiltrate New York City’s high society.

Sofia argued with Apple executives – who she claimed were ‘mostly dudes’ – during development, but they found the lead character too ‘unlikeable’ to move forward.

She added: ‘They didn’t get the character of Undine. She’s so “unlikable.” But so is Tony Soprano!’

The director admitted she thought Apple had ‘endless resources’ for the five episode limited series, which she claimed would have had a budget the size of ‘five Marie Antoinettes’, referring to her own movie with a $40 million budget.

The now scrapped project was first announced in 2020, and at the time Sofia heaped praise on Undine as an ‘anti-heroine’, and someone she was looking forward to bringing to life on screen.

She said at the time: ‘Undine Spragg is my favourite literary anti-heroine and I’m excited to bring her to the screen for the first time.’

In late 2021, the company decided to shut down the project, and Sofia has made her feelings on the situation clear.

She also told The New York Times: ‘The idea of an unlikable woman wasn’t their thing. But that’s what I’m saying about who’s in charge.

‘The people in charge of giving money are usually straight men, still.’

Elsewhere, Florence doesn’t think it is ‘helpful’ for celebrities to back good causes when they can’t commit their time to make a real difference.

The Oppenheimer actress has been happy to promote various charitable initiatives on her social media accounts but has been looking for something she could get involved with in a ‘bigger’ way in order to truly make an impact.

She told The Telegraph newspaper: ‘You’re always asked if you can help out in any way, and for a few years I’ve definitely done my part in the ways that I can on social media, for many little things.

‘I wanted to lend my voice in a bigger way to something that I could have the proper time to do, because it’s all very well lending yourself to it but if you don’t actually have time to be there and help, then it’s not very helpful.’

The actress became an ambassador for Race Against Dementia last year amid the Hollywood strikes.

She said: ‘It’s hugely rare to be that available, so it was amazing to have something I could be getting on with and work on something positive.’

But Florence – who was introduced to the charity via a friend who works closely with them – admitted she knew ‘barely anything’ about dementia and doesn’t want people to think she is an ‘expert’.

She said: ‘The first thing people always ask is, “So what’s your personal connection to dementia?” But I find it quite interesting that I don’t have one? I don’t have anybody in my life living with it, but I do have people in my life that are living around it, and I’m very aware that it’s something that’s not just a disease to the person, it’s a disease to the family, and there’s so little information that’s commonly known…

‘I am in no way saying I am an expert, I do not want people to think that. I think it can be so confusing in this era, when everybody is an “expert” on everything and everybody has an article to share on Instagram… While that’s equally important, it’s also important to let people know we are also learning, and it’s OK to not know. That’s definitely my angle in this.’

The Fighting With My Family actress has already raised over £20,000 via her Cooking with Flo Instagram Live programme and through her Florence Pugh Race Against Dementia Team fundraiser, she aims to raise £750,000 to fund the work of a group of elite dementia researchers for five years.