Don’t Worry Darling is a 2022 American psychological thriller directed by Olivia Wilde. The movie is making headlines for its many controversies, including claims that director Olivia Wilde and star Florence Pugh had disagreements while filming, and a strange saga involving Harry Styles reportedly spitting on his co-star Chris Pine at the Venice International Film Festival, where the movie premiered on September 5, 2022.
The movie is scheduled to be released in the United States on September 23, 2022, by Warner Bros. Pictures. Here is a timeline of Don’t Worry Darling’s controversies.
Olivia Wilde split from Jason Sudeikis
The movie was announced in July 2019 and Wilde was confirmed to be directing it. At the beginning of 2020, Wilde separated from her partner, Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis. The couple has two children. A source revealed to People, “It’s been amicable and they’ve transitioned into a great co-parenting routine.”
Also Read: Don’t Worry Darling: Release date, cast, plot, trailer
September 2020
LaBeouf was initially cast as the main character Jack Chambers but was replaced by pop star Harry Styles. The former boyband One Direction artist has acted before in Christopher Nolan’s epic war movie Dunkirk.
January 2021: rumors of Wilde and Styles dating
As per The Independent, Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde were pictured holding hands while attending a wedding. The supposed affair was not confirmed by either of the two to the media at that time.
February 2021: Don’t Worry Darling’s filming wrap
Wilde posted an Instagram post praising Harry Styles which read, “Not only did he relish the opportunity to allow for the brilliant @florencepugh to hold center stage as our ‘Alice’, but he infused every scene with a nuanced sense of humanity.”
“He didn’t have to join our circus, but he jumped on board with humility and grace, and blew us away every day with his talent, warmth, and ability to drive backwards.”
The remarks drew criticism, with questions about why is Wilde praising Harry for conceding the lead role to the Oscar-nominated Pugh.
April 2022: Wilde received custody papers while being on stage
While introducing a clip of Don’t Worry Daring at an event in Las Vegas, Sudeikis gave Wilde the custody papers in front of the crowd. She revealed to the press later that the envelope handed to her on the stage had Sudeikis’ legal filing.
August 24, 2022: pay disparity
In an interview with Variety, Wilde praised Pugh describing him as “extraordinary” and “clearly the most exciting young actress working today”. She also denied rumors that Styles had been paid three times Pugh’s salary for his work.
She added, “the absurdity of invented clickbait and subsequent reaction regarding a nonexistent pay disparity between our lead and supporting actors really upset me,”
Wilde also claimed that she fired LeBeouf from the production to make Pugh feel safe. Wilde disclosed to Variety that “His process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions”. She added, “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.”
August 26, 2022: LeBeouf denies he was fired
LaBeouf denied Wilde’s claim and mentioned that he was unable to “find time to rehearse” with other cast members. The actor shared the screenshots of his mail and texts with Wilde to Variety. LeBeouf also shared a video of Wilde convincing him to stay in the project.
September 5, 2022: DWD cast at the Venice Film Festival
As per The Independent, a reporter claimed that he was not supposed to ask Wilde about LeBeouf during the media conference.
Karla Welch, Wilde’s stylist shared a story on Instagram and captioned it as” There’s always more to the story..” in reference to the rumored feud between Wilde and Pugh. Welch’s post came around at the same time as Florence Pugh’s stylist. Pugh’s stylist called the actor “Mis Flo”, in an Instagram post that was a jibe at Wilde.
Also Read: Don’t Worry Darling: What is the Victory Project?
September 6, 2022: Harry Style spat at Chris Pine
A video taken at the festival, posted by Twitter user JZMaclin, showed Styles “appears to spit” on Pine while taking his seat next to him. The video received 5.5 million views, with fans claiming that Styles definitely did spit on his co-star.
Some viewers have dismissed the spitting incident and said that it was more likely that the actors were joking around. Sources close to Pine and Styles, have stated to The Independent that the spitting claims were untrue.
A source told People that the clip was nothing but an “odd online illusion”
