For Kazan, there was simply no alternative plan or backup list of candidates should her top choice decline the offer. "I didn’t have a backup," Kazan previously shared in interviews with Netflix. "I didn’t have another person that I thought would be just as good. She is the exact right person to play Cathy."
Elaborating on what made Pugh her exclusive vision for the character, Kazan explained that the British actress intuitively embodied the very qualities that John Steinbeck used to construct the complex figure on the page. Speaking at the high-profile New York premiere of the Netflix adaptation, Kazan detailed how Pugh matched the contradictory nature of the literary antagonist, blending an outward fragility with an unyielding core.
"The way that Cathy Ames is described in the book is kind of doll-like but with something icy or steely underneath," Kazan told The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet. "And I felt in Florence this mix of a very feminine presentation with, in a Jungian sense not in a gender sense, of masculinity to her soul. That she had a lot of raw emotion and agency and action, which is very Cathy to me."
Kazan’s conviction was further solidified by Pugh’s commanding work in Ari Aster’s 2019 folk horror masterpiece Midsommar. That particular cinematic turn left a lasting impression on the writer-director, serving as proof of Pugh’s extraordinary dramatic capabilities. "I feel like that performance announced a generational talent," Kazan said. "I think she’s a genius. It was very clear to me that, even though that character is very different from Cathy, if she can do that magic trick of a performance, she can do this."
In adapting the iconic novel, Kazan made a deliberate creative effort to re-center Cathy’s perspective, striving to unpack and understand the underlying motivations driving the notorious antihero rather than treating her as a one-dimensional villain. This nuanced approach found a willing and collaborative partner in Pugh, who officially joined the project back in 2020. Alongside her starring role, Pugh took on executive producer duties, embedding herself deeply into the creative foundation of the series from its earliest stages.
When the initial offer was extended, Pugh admitted she was taken aback. She "felt very honored" by the proposition, noting the sheer disbelief she felt when a filmmaker of Kazan’s caliber sought her out specifically. "I couldn’t believe that she was wanting to cast me," Pugh remarked on the premiere red carpet.
Beyond the honor of landing a dream role, having a hands-on influence in shaping the television adaptation through her executive producer title proved to be a transformative experience that significantly boosted her professional confidence. Being trusted to help build the world of the series from the ground up offered her a unique pathway into leadership.
"She really wanted me to be a part of the process; she wanted to create it with me. And that was just huge," Pugh explained. "At that time in my career and in my life, I was being given an opportunity that was a massive moment for me to step up and to lead in a different way. Those moments in people’s careers are the beginning of feeling truly confident about yourself. This project has meant a lot to me."
The deep mutual respect and creative partnership between the two women extended far beyond the soundstages and boardrooms. Taking to social media to reflect on the arduous yet rewarding journey of bringing East of Eden to the screen, Pugh shared a heartfelt tribute to her collaborator on Instagram. Praising Kazan’s unwavering dedication, Pugh wrote, "Zoe Kazan has poured her heart and soul into this project, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without her. She was my protector, my work wife, my cheerleader, my confidence. She created something so epic we all wanted to work on it."
That collective desire to work on the project has translated into a major critical success for the streaming platform. Since premiering, East of Eden has garnered stellar reviews from critics across the entertainment industry, currently holding an impressive 85 percent freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers have singled out Pugh’s tour-de-force performance as a standout element of the ambitious literary adaptation.
In his comprehensive review of the limited series for The Hollywood Reporter, chief TV critic Dan Fienberg lauded the actress for how she fearlessly approached the iconic material. Fienberg wrote that Pugh "tears into one of fiction’s great and confounding antagonists, a woman so determined and determinedly wicked that she makes Becky Sharp from Vanity Fair look like a Girl Scout."
Fienberg further highlighted the clever narrative choices regarding Pugh’s portrayal of a character defined by deception. "Having Pugh playing a character who is, by her very nature, hesitant to reveal her truth is an interesting choice that puts the onus on everybody around her who doesn’t recognize what is so obvious to viewers," he observed. "Cathy is scary when she lies, but she’s scarier when she tells the truth, with an unobscured honesty that is purely Pugh-ian. She’s so good that even in the second half of the series, when Cathy ages past the point at which Pugh is convincing, it still works."
Other major publications echoed this high praise, with Esquire describing Pugh’s performance as a definitive "career best," while USA Today declared that her gripping work turns the sweeping historical drama into an absolute "must see" television event for audiences.
As the seven-episode series continues to draw strong viewership and widespread industry acclaim on Netflix, the gamble taken by Kazan in refusing to consider any other actress for the grueling role has evidently paid off. Standing side by side on the red carpet at the New York premiere on September 30, both Kazan and Pugh celebrated the realization of a creative vision years in the making—one that successfully breathed bold, uncompromising new life into Steinbeck’s timeless literary world.