What Olivia, Shia, Cast Have Said About ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Drama
Don’t Worry Darling is finally on its way to theaters, but its journey to the big screen has been rife with drama.
In addition to dealing with numerous complications due to the pandemic, the Olivia Wilde-directed feature, starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, has had its fair share of challenges and buzz-worthy headlines along the way.
The production — written by Katie Silberman, who also wrote Wilde’s first feature, Booksmart — began shooting back in October 2020 and is set to premiere in September 2022. It hit its first roadblock when Dakota Johnson, who landed the role of Margaret, had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict with another film.
Following her exit, the project saw another one of its leads, Shia LaBeouf, depart production in September 2020 — allegedly also due to a scheduling issue. LaBeouf was set to play Pugh’s husband, Jack Chambers, but Styles was recast in the role.
In February 202, Wilde talked about having a “no a–holes policy” on set, causing many to speculate about alleged tension between the Richard Jewell actress and her former lead.
She further explained what went down with LaBeouf in an August 2022 interview with Variety ahead of the film’s release. “He has a process that, in some ways, seems to require a combative energy, and I don’t personally believe that is conducive to the best performances. I believe that creating a safe, trusting environment is the best way to get people to do their best work,” she shared with the outlet. “Ultimately, my responsibility is to the production and to the cast to protect them. That was my job.”
LaBeouf responded to the allegations in a statement to Variety in August 222, alleging that his firing “never took place.”
“While I fully understand the attractiveness of pushing that story because of the current social landscape, the social currency that brings. It is not the truth,” he stated. “So, I am humbly asking, as a person with an eye toward making things right, that you correct the narrative as best you can. I hope none of this negatively effects [sic] you, and that your film is successful in all the ways you want it to be.”
Following the announcement of the film’s premiere date, there were allegations made that Styles — who began dating the director after they connected on set — was paid three times more than Pugh, even though they had equal lead roles.
Wilde went on to deny those claims in her August 2022 interview with Variety, calling the false narratives “clickbait.”
She added: “There has been a lot out there that I largely don’t pay attention to. But the absurdity of invented clickbait and subsequent reaction regarding a nonexistent pay disparity between our lead and supporting actors really upset me.”
Scroll down to review all the drama that occurred around Don’t Worry Darling:
The Fifty Shades of Gray actress was first reported by Deadline in May 2020 to have joined the cast for the 1950s-set flick. She later dropped out in October 2020 due to a scheduling conflict with the Maggie Gyllenhaal-directed film The Lost Daughter and was replaced with Kiki Layne. Though Johnson missed working with the director this time around, there were no hard feelings, as the Madame Web star sent Wilde a bouquet of flowers on the first day of shooting. Christopher Victorio/imageSPACE for Mill Valley Film Festival/Shutterstock
In September 2020, Deadline reported that Styles would be joining the cast opposite Pugh after LaBeouf allegedly left the project “due to a scheduling conflict.” Following the American Honey actor’s departure, Wilde discussed not allowing actors on her set who don’t contribute positively to the project, causing many to believe some sort of drama occurred with LaBeouf. “Someone, who’s a very established actor and director in this industry, gave me really terrible advice that was helpful, because I just knew I had to do the opposite,” the House alum said during a February 2021 interview with Variety. “They said, ‘Listen, the way to get respect on a set, you have to have three arguments a day. Three big arguments that reinstate your power, remind everyone who’s in charge, be the predator.’ That is the opposite of my process. And I want none of that ... The no a–holes policy, it puts everybody on the same level." During another interview with Variety in August 2022, Wilde explained why LaBeouf left. “I say this as someone who is such an admirer of his work. His process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions,” she claimed. Further in her interview, Wilde went on to explain that she wanted Pugh to feel as comfortable as possible with her scene partner. “A lot came to light after this happened that really troubled me, in terms of his behavior,” she continued. “For our film, what we really needed was an energy that was incredibly supportive. Particularly with a movie like this, I knew that I was going to be asking Florence to be in very vulnerable situations, and my priority was making her feel safe and making her feel supported. I find myself just really wishing [Shia] health and evolution because I believe in restorative justice." Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
The Nymphomaniac actor shot back against those claims shortly after the interview’s release, telling the outlet in a statement that he “quit the film due to the lack of rehearsal time.” The Los Angeles native sent the outlet emails he claimed to have exchanged with the O.C. alum, in which he wrote, “You and I both know the reasons for my exit. I quit your film because your actors and I couldn’t find time to rehearse.” Todd Williamson/JanuaryImages/Shutterstock
Along with his email, the Peanut Butter Falcon star included a leaked video to Variety that Wilde allegedly sent to him in August 2020. “I feel like I’m not ready to give up on this yet, and I too, am heartbroken and I want to figure this out,” she said, seemingly referring to LaBeouf’s departure from the movie. The filmmaker went on to say it was a “bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo,” seemingly referencing Pugh, before noting that she wanted to know if he was “open to giving this a shot with me, with us.” Wilde continued: “If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point, and if you guys can make peace — and I respect your point of view, I respect hers — but if you guys can do it, what do you think?” The Vinyl alum concluded by asking the Honey Boy actor whether or not he thought there was “hope,” requesting that he “let [her] know” his decision. Shutterstock (2)
In addition to the alleged behind-the-scenes beef between Wilde and LaBeouf, Don’t Worry Darling also garnered buzz during filming when the director and Styles were spotted holding hands off set in January 2021 — two months after Wilde split from fiancé Jason Sudeikis. A source exclusively told Us Weekly at the time that the couple developed a connection after working together on the movie. "Olivia and Harry were able to keep their relationship under wraps for a bit before it became public knowledge," the insider noted to Us. "They were very careful about it and even sleuthy at times, although the small group of people who were on set with them every day eventually figured it out." Kristin Callahan/ACE Pictures/Shutterstock; Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
During her August 2022 interview with Variety, Wilde addressed rumors of a pay disparity between Pugh and Styles which many speculated to have caused a rift between the Little Women star and the New York native. “There has been a lot out there that I largely don’t pay attention to,” Wilde shared. “But the absurdity of invented clickbait and subsequent reaction regarding a nonexistent pay disparity between our lead and supporting actors really upset me." She added: “I’m a woman who has been in this business for over 20 years, and it’s something that I have fought for myself and others, especially being a director. There is absolutely no validity to those claims.” Moreover, discussion about the promotion of the movie indicated potential differences of opinion in how the actors were portrayed, with Wilde telling Variety the sex scenes were “integral” to the story while Pugh revealed she was unhappy with those scenes being the central focus in the trailer. “When it’s reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it’s not why we do it,” the Midsommar actress said in an August 2022 interview with Harpers Bazaar. “It’s not why I’m in this industry...That’s just not what I’m going to be discussing because [this movie is] bigger and better than that. And the people who made it are bigger and better than that.” Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock; David Fisher/Shutterstock for BAFTA
Amid the other controversy surrounding the film, fans noticed that the Black Widow actress had been quiet about her upcoming movie on social media other than sharing a short clip via Instagram. According to an August report by The Wrap, Pugh had no plans to do any press for the film apart from appearing at the Venice Film Festival premiere. "Florence and Olivia have had several disagreements personally and professionally, that's why Florence isn't doing any press for the movie," an insider exclusively revealed to Us later that month. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock; Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock
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