Florence Pugh fires back at criticism over her relationship with Zach Braff

Never mistake actress Florence Pugh for a shrinking violet or a wallflower, because the star of Little Women has a lot to say about the scrutiny her relationship with actor-director Zach Braff has received lately and she isn’t afraid to come in hot.Recently, Pugh, 24, and Braff, 45, have faced a barrage of online criticism from fans who feel their 21-year age gap is inappropriate, and Pugh has had enough of what she's calling "bullying."“I've always found it funny how I can be good enough for people to watch my work and support my work and pay for tickets, and I'm old enough to be an adult and pay taxes, but I'm not old enough to know who I should and should not have sex with," Pugh said on the Sue Perkins: An Hour Or So With… podcast.“Yet again, once again, it's making a young woman feel like s**t for no reason,” Pugh said, later lamenting that, “I'm 24 and I can't choose who I love? There's a reason why I'm not with someone my age — it hasn't worked. So, who are you trying to match me up with?” “I think because of the entertainment industry, obviously those lines get very blurred," the actress added. "People want to have a say on who you go out with, where you go to lunch. I’ve just always found that weird, how people have a say over your private life.”The couple, who have been private about their relationship, are suspected to have first connected in 2018 when they co-starred on the short film, In The Time It Takes To Get There. Pugh has been fiercely protective of their lives staying out of the tabloids and added, “The fact is, I’m not a reality TV star, I don't let people into my life like that. Since when has it been okay for people to shout at someone for their relationship? It’s crazy to me.”[video_embed id='1763185']RELATED: Thandie Newton explores our obsession with people who work in the movie industry[/video_embed]This isn’t the first time Flo has had to address the age-gap backlash head on. Back in April, after posting on Instagram a picture of her Scrubs and Garden State beau asleep with their dog, she received so much criticism about their relationship that she followed up with an Insta-vid directly addressing the noise.“I’ll underline this fact: I am 24 years old,” she said in the video. “I do not need you to tell me who I should and should not love, and I would never in my life ever, ever tell anyone who they can and cannot love. It is not your place, and really it has nothing to do with you.”

 

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In true Flo fashion, wearing spot stickers and all. To those of you that this video applies to- please listen. Please learn. Being hateful is not trendy.

A post shared by Florence Pugh (@florencepugh) on Apr 8, 2020 at 2:33pm PDT

The backlash, she says, forced her to disable comments on the Instagram post for the first time in her life. “Within about eight minutes of the photo being posted, I had about 70% of the comments hurling abuse and being horrid and basically bullying someone on my page,” Pugh said. “I have never been an Instagram page that encourages that. I have never been an Instagram page that likes that toxic vibe.”

 

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Today we shall smile wider than the clouds are grey. April 6th and we’re celebrating hard! Happy Birthday wishes, boogies and cheers for this special person. Raise those bubbles and jiggle!

A post shared by Florence Pugh (@florencepugh) on Apr 6, 2020 at 9:58am PDT

The scrutiny of their relationship comes at a time when there is a heightened concern about the exploitation of young women by older men in Hollywood and beyond, though for Pugh, she wants to make it clear that her choice of vocation doesn't mean she expects her private life to be hurtful public conversation."I know that part of being in the spotlight is that people might invade your privacy and have opinions on it, but it’s bizarre that normal folk are allowed to display such hate and opinions on a part of my life that I’m not putting out there ," she told Elle UK for its June 2020 cover story. "It’s a strange side of fame that you’re allowed to be torn apart by thousands of people even though you didn’t put that piece of you out there."[video_embed id='1987761']BEFORE YOU GO: Khloe and Tristan have temporarily reconciled[/video_embed]