English actress Florence Pugh is the latest celebrity to be on the receiving end of a projectile thrown from the crowd while on stage.

Pugh, 27, was part of a panel at Brazil Comic Con in São Paolo to promote the second instalment of the science-fiction movie franchise Dune: Part Two alongside co-stars Timothée Chalamat, Austin Butler and Zendaya.

At the end of the packed fan event at the weekend, the group assembled for a group photo with director Denis Villeneuve when something was thrown at Pugh’s face, hitting her in her right eye.

In multiple clips shared on social media, Pugh (Don’t Worry Darling, Oppenheimer), appeared to say “ow”, before bending down to retrieve what some say looked like a paper cup.

“Florence Pugh could’ve lost her eye. Wtf is wrong with people,” wrote one angry fan.

The celebrities made a quick exit and Pugh was reportedly uninjured.

Alarming trend

The stunt is part of an alarming trend in recent months, with stars such as British pop star Harry Styles and Pink getting stuff hurled at them by overexcited fans.

US singer Bebe Rexha had to be hospitalised in early June after a fan – who was later arrested – threw a mobile phone at her during a concert in New York City.

She was treated for a deep cut to her forehead and received multiple stitches.

In one of the more bizarre cases of fandom gone wrong, American singer-songwriter Pink stopped during a song on her Summer Carnival tour at BST Hyde Park in London later that month to speak to a fan in the pit after they threw a bag containing their mother’s ashes on stage.

“Is this your mum?” Pink said.

“I don’t know how to feel about this,” she said, carefully walking to the front of the stage to return the bag and continuing with her hit song-set.

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“Bebe gets a phone straight to the eye, someone put their baby on stage during a kpop girl group performance, now someone throwing their mothers ashes on stage at a Pink concert?” wrote one concertgoer, also asking what was wrong with people.

Styles, who is known for encouraging audience participation, had a packet of Skittles thrown at him during his Love on Tour concert in Los Angeles on November 17 last year.

He’s also had flowers, clothes, underwear and even chicken nuggets lobbed at him. But none injured like the hard sugar-shelled fruit chews.

Styles was seen throwing his head back suddenly as he was finishing his global hit As it Was, keeping his eye closed while singing his next song.

“It was HORRIBLE,” one person posted along with a video of the hit.

“I can’t believe it. The pit went silent. Why would they do that?”

One of Styles’ drummers, Pauli Lovejoy, said the next day that the singer was “OK”: “But do me a favour, don’t throw no more Skittles on stage”.

Adele’s warning to fans

On June 5, British singer Adele lashed out at the trend, joking with her Las Vegas audience during her residency she would “kill” anyone who tried to chuck something at her.

Wearing a black velvet gown and holding a T-shirt gun, she told the crowd people have forgotten “show etiquette”.

“Have you noticed how people are like forgetting f–king show etiquette at the moment throwing sh-t on stage?

“I f–king dare you … these people have lost it,” she said.

Three weeks ago, global pop star Taylor Swift was also at the ready to remind fans hurling gifts on stage is not always appreciated and is becoming dangerous.

While performing at Estadio River Plate for the Eras Tour concert in Argentina, she “calmly, but firmly, addressed the crowd after a ‘present’ landed beside her”, reported Billboard.

“Just because communication means having gentle, healthy boundaries,” said Swift, “it really freaks me out when stuff gets thrown on the stage. Because if it’s on the stage then a dancer can trip on it.”

“I love that you bought presents and that is so nice, but just, can you please not throw them on the stage,” she said.

Cardiff University lecturer Dr Lucy Bennett – who studies relationships between fans and singers – offered up one explanation to the BBC.

She said people were doing it because it was harder to be seen by artists on social media.

“If you’re in the same physical space as them, and you’re throwing something, then you’re going to get noticed,” she said.