Florence Pugh has criticised the focus on her sex scenes with Harry Styles in upcoming psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling.

Directed by Olivia Wilde, the film follows young couple Alice (Pugh) and Jack Chambers (Styles) in the 1950s, whose happy marriage starts to unravel when she becomes suspicious of her husband’s work on a secret project.

A lot of attention around the film has been drawn to the sex scenes between Pugh and Styles, with director Wilde saying last year she wanted to make audiences “realise how rarely they see female hunger, and specifically this type of female pleasure” on screens.

Speaking to Harpers Bazaar, however, Pugh said she doesn’t want Don’t Worry Darling to be “reduced” to the sex scenes.

“When it’s reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it’s not why we do it,” Pugh said. “It’s not why I’m in this industry.

“Obviously, the nature of hiring the most famous pop star in the world, you’re going to have conversations like that. That’s just not what I’m going to be discussing because [this movie is] bigger and better than that. And the people who made it are bigger and better than that.”

Alongside Pugh and Styles, the film stars Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll and Chris Pine. The film marks Wilde’s second time as director, following her debut feature Booksmart.

Earlier this year, Pugh took aim at “vulgar” criticism she received about her body after wearing a dress at a Valentino fashion show.

“It isn’t the first time and certainly won’t be the last time a woman will hear what’s wrong with her body by a crowd of strangers, what’s worrying is just how vulgar some of you men can be,” she wrote.

Don’t Worry Darling will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 5. It will be released in cinemas on September 23.