‘I Was Never Afraid’: Florence Pugh Says She Has Continued to Speak Publicly About Gaza

Hollywood actor Florence Pugh says she was never afraid to speak publicly about the war in Gaza and the humanitarian suffering of Palestinians, even as she believes many people in the entertainment industry remained silent on the issue for too long.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Pugh said no one on her professional team had advised her to remain silent about Gaza or avoid expressing support for Palestinians.

The actor, known for her roles in Little Women, Oppenheimer, Black Widow and the Marvel franchise, said she was instead surprised by how long it took some people to speak publicly about the issue and express sympathy for those affected.

“I don’t know why it took so long for people to start talking and for people to actually feel sympathy,” Pugh said in the interview.

She added that she had never been afraid to discuss the subject publicly.

No regret despite losing followers

Pugh said she believes her public comments about Gaza may have cost her hundreds of thousands of social-media followers over the past several years.

But she said she does not regret speaking out.

The actor has periodically shared links directing followers to humanitarian organisations and fundraising initiatives, including efforts supporting Palestinians, alongside other humanitarian causes.

For Pugh, the issue has also highlighted the uneasy contrast between the highly visible, often glamorous lives of public figures and the suffering being experienced elsewhere.

“It’s still happening, though,” she said, referring to the continuing human suffering.

She spoke particularly about children and mothers affected by the conflict, saying it was difficult to see such suffering while everyday life for many others continued as normal.

That contrast, she said, has also made her question how people use social media.

Pugh described the experience of posting about having a good time or enjoying ordinary aspects of life while, moments later, seeing images of people suffering as one of the most difficult aspects of social media.

Participation in Together for Palestine

Pugh has also supported humanitarian fundraising efforts beyond social-media posts.

Last year, she took part in Together for Palestine, a fundraising event held at OVO Arena Wembley in London. The event raised more than $2 million, according to Vanity Fair.

Pugh said she was grateful to those who helped her attend the event despite a scheduling conflict with production on Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday.

Her participation was particularly notable because of the demands of the large-scale Marvel production, which is scheduled for release on December 18, 2026.

Speaking out despite Hollywood pressure

Pugh's comments come amid continuing debate over how actors, filmmakers and other entertainment figures respond publicly to the war in Gaza and the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Rather than describing her position as a career calculation, Pugh framed her decision around the human consequences of the conflict.

She said she was particularly puzzled that so many people had been reluctant to discuss the issue openly.

According to Pugh, no member of her team told her to avoid the subject. She also expressed gratitude to people who helped make it possible for her to attend the London fundraising event despite her filming commitments.

A continuing humanitarian concern

Pugh's support for humanitarian causes predates her participation in the London fundraiser. Vanity Fair reported that she has shared donation links for humanitarian aid and other causes periodically since 2021.

Her latest comments indicate that the issue remains personally significant to her, particularly when she considers the human cost of the conflict.

She also acknowledged the difficulty of reconciling her own professional life with the suffering she encounters through social media.

For a Hollywood actor whose career increasingly places her at the centre of major international productions, that tension has become part of the public conversation surrounding her.

Pugh is currently entering one of the busiest periods of her career. She is set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three, both scheduled for release on December 18, 2026. She is also starring in the television adaptation of John Steinbeck's East of Eden.

Her comments on Gaza therefore come alongside a period of significant professional activity—not as a separate chapter of her public life, but as one of the issues on which she has chosen to remain publicly outspoken.

For Pugh, the central concern remains the human suffering she sees unfolding in Gaza.

“Babies are still dying. Mothers are still in pain,” she said, describing the experience of watching that suffering while much of the world continues with everyday life.