The actress is 24 and her boyfriend is 45.
Florence Pugh is addressing the criticism over her relationship with Zach Braff. During the latest episode of Sue Perkins: An Hour or So With, the 24-year-old actress reflected on the mean comments she received over her age difference with her 45-year-old boyfriend.
"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. "Once again, [it's] making a young woman feel like s**t for no reason. I think I did feel s**t for awhile about admitting that, and then I thought, 'How ridiculous is 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," the Little Women star added. "So who are you trying to match me up with?"
Pugh noted that though the lines "get very blurred" because of her chosen profession, she should still be able to live her private life how she chooses.
"People want to have a say on who you go out with, where you go to lunch. And I think for me, I've just always found that part of this life -- even when I grew up watching actresses -- I've always found that weird how people have a say over your private life," she said. "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 OK for people to shout at someone for their relationship? It's crazy to me."
Back in April, Pugh clapped back at trolls who flooded her comments section with criticism after she posted about Braff's birthday on Instagram.
"I would never in my life -- ever, ever -- tell anyone who they can or cannot love. It is not your place. And really, it has nothing to do with you," she said in part, defending her and Braff's 21-year age difference. "The abuse that you throw at him is abuse that you're throwing at me."
Braff and Pugh, who worked together on the film In the Time It Takes To Get There, were first seen together in public last April. In January, the pair was snapped kissing in Los Angeles.
Watch the video below for more on the couple.
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