Florence Pugh reflects on 'beautiful' pōwhiri experience during Netflix production in New Zealand

British actress Florence Pugh has shared her appreciation for Māori culture, reflecting on a pōwhiri that welcomed the cast and crew of the new Netflix series East of Eden to New Zealand. Speaking on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the Academy Award-nominated actress described the traditional welcoming ceremony as a standout moment during her time in the country. “We started the shooting schedule with this incredible ceremony,” Pugh told Meyers. She noted that experiencing the pōwhiri left her feeling immediately full of “power and love,” describing the cultural encounter as a very special way to begin the filming process. The series, an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel, utilized several historic Aotearoa locations to represent the Salinas Valley of early 20th-century California. Production for the series took place in December 2024, involving approximately 150 crew members across three Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga sites. Filming was hosted at Alberton and Highwic in Auckland, as well as the Thames School of Mines on the Coromandel Peninsula. This project marked the largest production ever hosted by Heritage New Zealand. Tanya Wilkinson, the Auckland properties lead for Heritage New Zealand, stated the organization was honored to have the sites selected as backdrops for the major international production. According to 1News, the heritage team praised the professionalism of the crew, who carefully dressed the historic rooms to reflect the period setting. East of Eden, which features Pugh in a leading role, began streaming globally on Netflix this week on Thursday.