Debbie Harry wants Florence Pugh to play her in the Blondie biopic.
Two films about the 1970s and early 1980s rock band are in development – a documentary and a biopic, and the group’s frontwoman thinks the perfect leading star is in Pugh.
“If it were somebody like Florence Pugh, I would be in heaven,” Harry told The Times newspaper.
“I just think she’s a great actor, and she could do anything.”
As a sideline to Blondie – which sold over 40 million records, including Call Me and The Tide Is High – Harry dabbled in acting in the 1980s.
She played a radio presenter in the 1983 horror-Sci-fi film Videodrome, and starred in the 1989 comedy-romance anthology film New York Stories directed by Martin Scorsese.
Filmmaker Ridley Scott offered Harry the role of an android called Pris in the 1982 Sci-fi-action film Blade Runner, but she declined because her record label didn’t want the music legend to take time off.
The part went to Daryl Hannah and Harry admitted turning down Blade Runner was her “biggest regret”, and she thinks acting could have been a bigger part of her career if she had agreed to do the film.
Harry – who still performs – turned 80 on July 1, and she has no plans of retiring.
“Sometimes when I walk out on stage and there’s such a terrific response, I feel like I’d better stop while I’m ahead,” she said.
“But no, it’s still joyful.”
“I don’t walk around thinking every minute, ‘Oh my God, I’m 80’,” she says. “But that’s sort of how I feel.” She recalls how her mother used to say that in her head she was still 25 – and admits she relates. Harry explains that dwelling constantly on age “could be your downfall”. “I don’t really want the same kind of life I did when I was younger,” she adds. “I’ve done that! That’s the beauty of ageing = you know what it’s about. You have it in your heart and soul and your memory bank… or does that sound like an excuse?”
Despite her youthful attitude, Harry also acknowledges the more challenging side of reaching eight decades. “One of the bad things about ageing,” she says, “is everyone’s gone already.” She reflects on a moment at a gallery show some years ago where she looked around and realised that half the musicians pictured were already gone. “It’s what they call diminishing returns,” she muses.
She says her successes have been “a terrific elixir” for settling into this new phase of life – “I tried very hard to do something and succeeded,” she reflects, “and having some success is a terrific elixir.” With more years behind her than ahead, Harry looks forward with a renewed sense of purpose, even if the pace has softened. She feels she can “focus my energy a lot better” than when she was younger.
In discussing the ageing of a rock‑star body, Harry is refreshingly candid. She admits that the youthful body that once carried her around on stage is not quite what it was – but she doesn’t see that as a limitation. Instead she takes pleasure in the wisdom and experience she’s gathered. “That’s the beauty of ageing,” she repeats, “you know what it’s about.”
For readers of Starts at 60, Harry’s reflections may resonate closely: the mixture of joy in living, acknowledgement of loss, and the freedom that comes from knowing you’ve “done that” life when younger. At 80, she seems to be far from retiring; in fact, she’s still curious, still creating, and still casting a long shadow from her days leading Blondie into the punk‑pop stratosphere.
She might not be chasing the same wild nights now, but she’s clearly not shying away from the light either. “Should I go out and party every night?” she asks, half‑smiling. The answer appears to be: only if the moment feels right.