Florence Pugh has opened up about the intense scrutiny her relationship with Scrubs actor Zach Braff has received. Mainly, that all the backlash has made her feel rotten.
Ever since Pugh, 24, and Braff, 45, were first spotted together last April, people have criticised their age gap.
Speaking to comedian Sue Perkins on her podcast, An Hour or So With, Pugh said the negative comments about her relationship made her feel like shit.
“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 my 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,” she said.
“Once again, [it’s] making a young woman feel like shit for no reason. I think I did feel shit for a while about admitting that, and then I thought, ‘How ridiculous is that?’”
She continued, “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?”
Pugh said she is not a reality TV star, that she does not allow people into her life like that. “Since when has it been okay for people to shout at someone for their relationship? It’s crazy to me.”
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Pugh has had to speak out about her relationship with Braff. In April, the actor took to her Instagram to speak directly to her followers via video.
Pugh shared the video after posting a picture of Braff on Instagram to celebrate his birthday.
“Within about eight minutes of being posted, I had about 70 per cent of the comments hurling abuse and being horrid,” she said. For the first time ever, Florence was forced to turn off the comments on her Instagram.
Again, Pugh made it very clear that she is 24 years old, that she became an adult when she turned 18 years old, and that she does not need anyone to tell her who she should or shouldn’t love.
“It is not your place, and really it has nothing to do with you,” Pugh said, adding that she’d rather people unfollow her than leave negative comments.
“The abuse you throw at him is abuse you’re throwing at me and I don’t want those followers,” she said.
