Pop music was not in great shape at the end of the 1970s, but when you scanned up and down the radio (this is how we used to live, kids), you knew that in between the novelty disco songs and crossover country tracks, you might hear something from Blondie. Fronted by Debbie Harry, this shapeshifting band could do straight-up rock, hybrid disco (“Heart of Glass”), hip-hop (“Rapture”), or rocksteady (“The Tide Is High”). They were a vital part of the New York City punk scene, but too versatile and knock-out stylish to be pinned down as one thing. As a kid, I was especially obsessed with Clem Burke’s drumming on “Dreaming” and “Heart of Glass,” the latter of which taught me the importance of an expert drum fill.
Still, the main attraction of Blondie was always Harry. Witty, sarcastic, and hot as hell, she was a pop icon unlike any other. Like David Bowie, she was in total control of her image, and, through sheer DGAF verve, capable of making a set of hospital scrubs look to-die-for fashionable. The band burned bright for less than a decade, but Harry remained relevant via films (literally scarring in David Cronenberg’s “Videodrome”) and solo music ventures (her cover of “Liar, Liar” for the “Married to the Mob” soundtrack deserves way more love).
While we’re waiting for Madonna to make her cinematic self-portrait with Julia Garner (hurry up, Madge), it only feels right to wonder why we haven’t gotten a proper Debbie Harry biopic yet. In a recent interview with The Times, the 80-year-old legend seems open to the idea, and she’d love for Academy Award nominee and Marvel Cinematic Universe standout Florence Pugh to play her in a potential movie. Why is Harry so enamored of the “Black Widow” and “Thunderbolts*” star?
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Debbie Harry would be in heaven if Florence Pugh portrayed her in a biopic
Florence Pugh is all pouty business as Yelena Belova in Thunderbolts* – Marvel Studios
During her Blondie prime, Debbie Harry’s gift was her try-me insouciance. Every utterance was an overwhelmingly intimidating dare. The songs were remarkably polished pop nuggets, but she brought an uncommon toughness to them. Capturing that would be a challenge for any working actor, but Harry has confidence in Pugh’s ability to pull it off. “If it were somebody like [Pugh], I would be in heaven,” she told The Times. “I just think she’s a great actor, and she could do anything.”
Pugh has definitely become a watch-her-in-anything performer. She can project everything from strength to extreme vulnerability, and, at the age of 29, seems to be entering what promises to be a brilliant prime. Portraying Harry could be a defining role for Pugh, but my hope is that Harry taps a filmmaker who won’t phone in a greatest hits account of her life. Harry’s artistry demands innovation. Make a biopic that isn’t one obvious thing. And let Pugh flourish.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
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