Florence Pugh has opened up about her previous relationship with Scrubs actor Zach Braff as she said the bullying ‘was ‘took its toll’.
Florence, 28, dated Zach, 49, from 2019 to 2022, earning a lot of criticism from fans who were unimpressed with their large age gap.
The actress reflected on the ‘bullying’ she received and said: ‘I had to be public (with my relationship) in the past because people were bullying me and bullying my partner.
‘Mine and Zach’s relationship was actually quite private until it was nasty, and I could see the toll that it was taking on him and us and our families, and that’s when I spoke out.
‘I think for anyone I’m with, I want to protect them. It’s not nice knowing that people are saying the worst things I’ve ever read about someone that I love. So that was necessary.
‘I needed to talk about it, I think any relationship in this limelight is going to be stressed.’
She also revealed to British Vogue that she is now in a new relationship now, but is still working out their status.
‘We are figuring out what we actually are. And I think for the first time, I’m not allowing myself to go on a roller-coaster. I’m allowing myself to take time to let something evolve and let it be completely real to its core, as opposed to racing into that.’
During the interview, Florence swerved a question about her rumoured feud with Olivia Wilde on the set of film Don’t Worry Darling.
It was claimed the Midsommar actress and the director, 40, clashed behind the scenes while filming the psychological thriller released in cinemas two years ago.
Speculation of a rift was exacerbated when Florence skipped several promotional duties, although it was later claimed her absence was due to scheduling conflicts as she was shooting Dune 2.
The We Live In Time star has never directly addressed the rumours, explaining in the interview with Vogue that she found it ‘unfair’ to dwell on Don’t Worry Darling when promoting other films.
When asked about the alleged drama, Florence told the publication: ‘There are so many times when I’ve been doing press for a movie and I am asked questions about [Don’t Worry Darling] and I always think it’s unfair to take the space away from the movie that I’m talking about. So I’m going to politely move away from that.’
Olivia has previously quashed rumours of a clash, telling Elle Magazine: ‘This film is trying to ask big questions, but [it’s] “Let’s just focus on this sideshow over here”.
‘Having been a known figure for a while…makes me well-equipped to have a Teflon exterior. But it also means that you’re under a different kind of microscope. It’s brought my attention to the media and how it pits women against one another.
‘It is shocking to see so many untruths about yourself traded as fact.’
She heaped praise on Florence’s acting capabilities and described her performance in Don’t Worry Darling as ‘exquisite.’
The Booksmart director told Vanity Fair: ‘Florence did the job I hired her to do, and she did it exquisitely. She blew me away. Every day I was in awe of her, and we worked very well together.’
Discussing the star’s highly-publicised lack of promoting for the movie, she added: ‘Florence is one of the most in-demand actresses in the universe. She’s on set on Dune. I gather that some people expect for her to be engaging more on social media.
‘I didn’t hire her to post. I hired her to act. She fulfilled every single expectation I had of her. That’s all that matters to me.’
It was claimed the alleged feud was sparked because Olivia ‘neglected or alienated’ Florence on set because she was so taken with co-star Harry Styles, who she started dating before splitting in 2022.
Don’t Worry Darling follows unhappy housewife Alice (Florence) and her husband Jack (Harry) who live in an isolated, dystopian community in the California desert in the 1950s.
See the full feature in the October issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday 24 September.
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