The actress was standing alongside co-stars Timothee Chalamet, Austin Butler and Zendaya at Comic-Con's CCXP event in Brazil when an unknown object was launched at her from the crowd.

The 27-year-old had just spoken at a panel for the film when the object appeared to strike her right eye.

Footage of the incident on social media showed the actress looking shocked as she gathered the item from the floor.

Pugh had been complimentary of the crowd surrounding the panel shortly before she was struck.

"Coming in here, the power of this room is because of the first movie," she said to the audience, which could be heard cheering as she spoke.

"We felt that when we went on set every single day. So it feels really, really special being here with the second one. And I'm very, very proud."

The British actress, who did not star in the first Dune film, also shared details about her character for the sequel, Princess Irulan Corrino, and about her experience on set.

"She's quick, wise, intelligent, quiet. I had an amazing time coming and just hanging out with these people, let alone actually getting to work with them," she said.

Fans later expressed their outrage online after the object was thrown.

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One user on X wrote: "It hit her directly in the eye.

"This could've been so much worse.. if this keeps going it'll get to the point where people won't want to do live events anymore for their own safety."

The incident after the panel appearance is the latest in a recent trend of celebrities being targeted on stage.

Harry Styles, who starred alongside Pugh in the 2022 drama Don't Worry Darling, was seen clutching his face in pain after a fan threw an object on stage during one of his shows earlier this year.

Popstar Adele addressed the trend during a foul-mouthed rant at one of her concerts in July.

She asked the audience: "Have you noticed how people are forgetting f****** show etiquette at the moment, they're just throwing s*** on stage. Have you seen that?"

"F****** dare you," she added. "Dare you to throw something at me."

Her comments came after one fan bizarrely threw their mother's ashes on to the stage during a Pink concert, while another fan launched their phone at singer Bebe Rexha, injuring her eye.