Olivia Wilde responds to rumours of a rift with Florence Pugh
The long-awaited press conference and premiere for Don’t Worry Darling, the newest effort from actress and Booksmart director Olivia Wilde, took place on Monday, September 5th, only adding fuel to the fire of speculation surrounding the film.
The film stars Florence Pugh in a leading role as 1950s housewife Alice, alongside Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, and Wilde herself. However, Pugh was noticeably absent from the press conference, claiming this was due to scheduling conflicts for her role in the Dune sequel. Instead, she intended to arrive for the red carpet, photo call and premiere screening.
There has been much controversy surrounding the film, with Pugh distancing herself from promoting the film as little as possible. It was also alleged that Wilde began an affair with Styles whilst still married to fellow actor Jason Sudeikis. According to one source, “Flo seeing Olivia and Harry all over each other on set did not go down well as Olivia was still with Jason when she first hooked up with Harry.”
Furthermore, there has also been contention around how much Pugh and Styles have been paid, with reports emerging that the latter was paid over triple the amount Pugh was, despite having a smaller role. Although Wilde dismissed this claim, it only helped to surround the film with more controversy and negative press.
Things got even worse when Shia LaBeouf, who has several abuse allegations to his name, provided evidence that he was not fired from the film as Wilde had suggested (because Pugh cited feeling uncomfortable in his presence) but had actually quit. A video emerged of Wilde mocking Pugh and asking LaBeouf to stay part of the film, pleading: “I’m not ready to give up on this yet.”
Therefore, fans believe that Pugh purposely arrived late to avoid the press conference. After all, Dune’s leading man Timothée Chalamet had no issues attending the press conference for his latest film, Bones and All. Pugh posted a clip on social media after she touched down in Venice, posing for photos with a drink while wearing a regal all-purple attire.
Meanwhile, at the press conference, Wilde addressed the rumours of a rift between herself and Pugh: “Florence is a force. We are so grateful she’s able to make it tonight [the red carpet] despite being in production on Dune.“
“I know, as a director, how disruptive it is to lose an actor even for a day, so I’m very grateful to her, and to Denis Villeneuve for helping us. And we’ll get to celebrate her work tonight. I can’t say how honoured I am to have her as our lead. She’s amazing.”
Concluding: “As for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, the Internet feeds itself. I don’t feel the need to contribute; I think it’s sufficiently well-nourished.”
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.