Olivia Wilde’s latest cinematic venture, Don’t Worry Darling, has finally been released after much anticipation. But as the psychological thriller hits theaters, a plethora of rumors and controversies continue to swirl around it. The past few weeks have been filled with reports of a supposed cast firing and alleged disagreements on set. To the latter point, an anonymous source recently claimed that Wilde got into a “shouting match” with her lead actress, Florence Pugh. With this, dozens of crew members have shared a statement that addresses the supposed confrontation.
According to the initial report, the reported screaming match was the culmination of Florence Pugh’s apparent frustration with Olivia Wilde’s conduct on set. The unnamed person alleged that Pugh took issue with Wilde frequently disappearing from set with boyfriend Harry Styles, who co-leads the film. It was also said that Pugh was reportedly not pleased when Wilde and Styles attended a wedding, after the former had apparently spoken about the importance of following COVID protocols sometime earlier.
All of this, however, was disputed by forty crew members via a statement sent to ET (via People). While the message was signed off by so many, it was producer Miri Yoon who actually penned the address. Yoon vehemently shot down the “absurd gossip” that’s been floating around while also sharing positive thoughts on how the director ran the set:
As a crew, we’ve avoided addressing the absurd gossip surrounding the movie we’re so proud of, but feel the need to correct the anonymous ‘sources’ quoted in a recent article. Any allegations about unprofessional behavior on the set of Don’t Worry Darling are completely false. Olivia is an incredible leader and director who was present with and involved in every aspect of production. She ran this set with class and respect for everyone involved. There was never a screaming match between our director and anyone, let alone a member of our cast.
This wouldn’t be the first time that a Don’t Worry Darling crew member has responded to rumors. Cinematographer Matthew Libatique addressed the claims of drama, saying that the set was the most “harmonious” that he’s ever worked on. Libatique says he was “never witness to anything” and “didn’t feel anything” and that if something did happen,” it happened way after [he] left and started doing something else.” He expressed pride in the film as did Miri Yoon and the crew members did later in their own statement:
We are happy to put our names on this, as real people who worked on the film, and who have witnessed and benefitted from the collaborative and safe space Olivia creates as a director and leader. We’re also thrilled that the movie is in theaters this weekend. We can’t wait for you to see it on the big screen.
The drama surrounding the film started in earnest last month when Shia LaBeouf, who was originally set to play Harry Styles’ role, refuted Olivia Wilde’s claim that he was fired from the production. (He also provided text messages and emails to back up his claim.) Around that time, a video went live which showed Wilde trying to convince LaBeouf to rejoin the film and saying that it would be a “wake-up call” for “Miss Flo,” who allegedly had problems with LaBeouf. From there, rumors spread that Wilde and Florence Pugh were feuding and that only intensified when the actress limited her press availability.
Olivia Wilde has since denied that she and Florence Pugh hold any kind of animosity towards each other. Pugh hasn’t addressed the situation directly, though she did share a heartfelt message and behind-the-scenes photos to celebrate the movie’s release this weekend.
We’ll likely never know exactly what went down on the set, truth be told. But one thing we’ll eventually find out is whether this drama has a negative impact on the movie’s success. Regardless of how it performs though, it’s clear that the Don’t Worry Darling team is going to stand firmly by their film.