A WRESTLING movie featuring Oxford-born actress Florence Pugh alongside Hollywood megastar Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson will hit UK cinema screens this month.

Ms Pugh, whose father Clinton Pugh runs restaurants in Cowley Road, learnt wrestling moves for the film, which tells the story of Norwich-born WWE superstar 'Paige' - real name Saraya-Jade Bevis.

Oxford Mail:

The movie, Fighting with My Family, is written and directed by Stephen Merchant and focuses on Paige and her brother Zak, who get the chance to try out for WWE.

READ AGAIN: Florence Pugh and Dwayne Johnson in Fighting with My Family

Mr Merchant said: “Florence threw herself into the physical aspects and immediately got Paige’s inners strength, humour and emotion. We knew she could be this girl from Norwich where Paige grew up.”

Ms Pugh, who recently starred in Netflix medieval drama Outlaw King and the BBC adaptation of John le Carré’s The Little Drummer Girl, said she was happy to take on the physical challenges.

Oxford Mail:

She added: “I love her story of empowerment, as well as her feistiness and funkiness.

“I had to be part of this film, which is about a young woman finding the strength to follow her dreams - and succeeding.”

A period of training at WWE’s boot camp in Orlando, Florida, initially worried the actress but she was soon reassured by wrestling professionals.

Oxford Mail:

Ms Pugh added: “They are so precise and wouldn’t let you do a specific move until you proved you could do it.”

The film, distributed by Lionsgate UK, is in cinemas from February 27.