Alan Cumming’s Avengers: Doomsday story put Florence Pugh in an unexpectedly awkward spot when the actors finally met. The two had a surprising connection before ever sharing a scene in person.
During his interview on SiriusXM Hits 1, Cumming explained that he and Pugh had never met or filmed together, but their body doubles had filmed a scene where one lay directly on top of the other. That made their first real-life meeting awkward when they realized what had happened.
The 61-year-old said, “I saw Florence Pugh yesterday at the Emmy, and I said, ‘Gosh it’s so funny, I’ve never met you but you lay on top of me. Or your body double did, and she goes,’yeah I lay on top of you as well, but it was your body double.’”
Why Marvel’s biggest stars sometimes film scenes without meeting each other
Marvel productions can split cast members across multiple filming days because large-ensemble projects require complex schedules. Body doubles also help studios stage physical movements when the principal actors are unavailable or when a sequence requires specialized stunt work.
That process is particularly useful on a movie as large as Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel officially announced a cast featuring Florence Pugh, Alan Cumming, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal, and many other major stars. Doomsday is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and is scheduled for December 18, 2026.
Production has also involved extensive stunt and visual-effects work. The production credits list numerous stunt performers and doubles, showing how physical sequences can involve performers beyond the principal cast.
Cumming previously explained that his schedule affected how he filmed his Avengers: Doomsday material. “I got it done really quickly because I couldn’t go, because of The Traitors, when most of my scenes were being shot… So I squashed them all together, and got a green screen and various things and little scenes of people here and there. But it was pretty stealthy.”
The approach lets filmmakers build scenes piece by piece while keeping a huge cast and crew on schedule. For Cumming and Pugh, it created an amusing introduction before they actually worked together face-to-face.
Originally reported on SuperHeroHype.
