NEW YORK — Florence Pugh has a guaranteed method to get the tears flowing.

“Anything involving animals completely melts my heart, be it a dog, horse, or pig,” shares Pugh, 28, while fiddling with a stress ball after a lengthy series of interviews. “I watched ‘Babe’ recently and ended up in tears.” (She specifically mentions the original “Babe,” not the unsettling 1998 sequel: “A horrifying movie. So frightening!”)

The British actress now stars in her own heartfelt film: “We Live in Time,” which will debut in New York and Los Angeles this Friday, and later roll out in theaters across the country on October 18. This uplifting romance story revolves around Almut (Pugh), a talented chef who unexpectedly falls for Tobias (Andrew Garfield), a recently divorced cereal salesman, after she accidentally collides with him in her car. The film strikingly depicts life’s ups and downs—births, wedding plans, terminal illness—but adds layers of humor and absurdity.

“Florence and Andrew are like incredible acrobats, navigating various emotional tones,” comments director John Crowley (“Brooklyn”). In reality, people often inject humor into the more challenging moments, which has certainly resonated with me,” he adds.

Andrew Garfield Found ‘Healing’ While Working on ‘We Live in Time’

Garfield, 41, mentions that he wasn’t actively looking for new projects when he was first approached about this one. After losing his mother to pancreatic cancer in 2019, and dealing with the aftermath of the pandemic, he spent months promoting his roles in “tick, tick. BOOM!” and “Under the Banner of Heaven,” both of which have earned him Oscar and Emmy nominations.

“I was taking some time for myself,” Garfield recalls. “But upon reading the script, I thought, ‘This resonates with what I’m experiencing. It could help in my healing process.’ It felt less like a job and more like a chance for me to delve into the essence of life after 40 years. I realized there’s so much more to experience, and I want to do it right.”

Pugh viewed the film as a chance to explore “the most human experiences” because she has often portrayed characters like superheroes (“Black Widow”), scientists (“Oppenheimer”), and cult members (“Midsommar”).

<p“I hadn’t participated in a love story or anything involving this kind of grief before,” she explains, admitting that it was “more challenging” than any prior role. “There was no facade to hide behind. I was embodying someone who feels very familiar, maybe someone I know or even aspects of myself, which brought a lot of vulnerability.”

The film dives into the couple’s intimate experiences, ranging from fervent lovemaking to emotionally taxing conflicts. This challenged Garfield and Pugh to convincingly portray a long-term relationship within just two months of filming. Pugh mentions that they quickly became close friends, united by their enthusiasm for the project.

Garfield adds, “Sometimes one of us is ready for levity, while the other might want to discuss deeper issues. We could navigate those emotional peaks and valleys, which is a rare and beautiful thing. We craved substantial discussions, but we also enjoyed moments of laughter and light-heartedness.”

Both actors found humor in the array of “We Live in Time” horse memes, sparked by a worn-out carousel horse featured briefly in the movie. Garfield enjoys a particular meme connected to “The Godfather,” showcasing the horse’s severed head. As a passionate food lover, Pugh delighted in the chance to play a chef.

“Being able to observe the operations of a Michelin-star restaurant and watch the kitchen in action was incredibly thrilling to me,” Pugh shares. She maintains contact with the head chef, which means, “I could definitely reach out and ask, ‘Could you teach me how to make sushi from scratch?’”

Florence Pugh feared being removed from her first movie premiere

The release date of the movie is significant for Pugh, who is an Oscar nominee for Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women.” It will be shown in cinemas starting October 11, marking exactly ten years since her debut at her first premiere for “The Falling” in 2014.

“Oh my gosh, wow! That’s amazing. It’s really lovely to realize,” Pugh responds. Reflecting on that memorable night, “I felt like I was floating; it gives me butterflies just thinking about it. However, I couldn’t shake the notion that any moment I would be told to leave, as if someone would say, ‘Oh no, this isn’t working. Let’s (re-cast with) someone else.’ Starting out in this industry feels incredibly daunting and impressive. You just think, ‘I hope I’m doing the right thing.’”

Garfield made his film debut in 2007 with “Boy A,” which was also helmed by Crowley. At that time, “I had no expectations for my career,” he says. “I thought I would need to balance it with several odd jobs, like catering, and I was perfectly fine with that.”

Fast forward nearly 20 years later, “I feel genuinely grateful and touched. We often have to remind ourselves how incredibly fortunate we are.”