As Russian assassin/spy and martial arts master Yelena Belova, Florence Pugh takes a cue from Tom Cruise and makes a spectacular entrance in this week’s Marvel adventure “Thunderbolts*” — by jumping off the second tallest building in the world.

That would be the Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This new adventure begins as Yelena mourns her late sister, “Black Widow” star Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff.

“Obviously, I’d like to say,” Pugh, 29, began in a virtual press conference, “none of the stunts are possible without any of the stunties and riggers and that’s been designed for weeks prior to shooting. As much as I like to say that I did my stunts, there’s also plenty that aren’t me.

“But in terms of coming at it from Florence, it’s such an impressive way to start the movie. It really allowed me to understand where she was.

“Reading it on a page it did feel she was stepping off a building as if she was taking her own life — and how powerful it was to start a movie like that.

“I was just so impressed by it. And also impressed instantly how as an audience member, we knew exactly where she was feeling.

“It was only because she’s obviously an assassin that she can land it. But for someone to jump off a building like that with the voiceover — it’s harrowing. It’s not a nice image to have.

“Which is why when she actually steps off, everybody’s stomachs do just flip. It’s an image we all associate as something really bad.

“Coming at it from Yelena, the way I thought about her in that opening is that she is at such a loss. She’s lost her sister, her family. The relationship with her father has dwindled to nothing.

“She’s in such a state of mind that she’s happy to put herself at risk.

“That’s why, for example, in early fittings I was going to be in my super suit. And I was like, ‘No, no, no!’

“If she’s actually to be put in these situations to potentially get killed, she needs to be in something that doesn’t protect her, like a tracksuit.

“If she’s going to do these missions and fight, let’s take away the added layer of protection, her super suit. So even though she’s still doing cool things, realistically she’s going into a mission completely bare.

“That’s how desperate she is for someone to end it for her.

“And then, of course! You have to ‘act’ on top of the tallest building and pretend it’s not scary. Pretend as if you want to jump off it. Just mad.”

“What’s really so impressive — beyond the fact that she did it!” said director Jake Schreier, “is that the shot starts on her face and you’re starting the movie in this real moment of character.”

“Thunderbolts*” is in theaters May 2