Olivia Wilde has responded to claims that Don’t Worry Darling actor Harry Styles earned significantly more than leading star Florence Pugh.
The actor-turned-director is at the head of the forthcoming psychological thriller, which stars Pugh and Styles as a young married couple.
In recent months, there have been various rumours surrounding the making of the film, including unverified reports of a feud between Wilde and Pugh.
Although neither she nor Pugh have commented on any alleged disagreements, Wilde recently took the opportunity to deny a claim that Styles, with whom she is currently in a relationship, earned three times more than Pugh.
“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,” Wilde wrote in an email to Variety, following a longer discussion.
“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.”
Elsewhere in Wilde’s conversation with the publication, she praised the actors’ ability to work with each other and help each other where needed.
“She was really a great supporter of his as someone who was newer to a film set,” she said of Pugh working with Styles. “And he was such a great supporter of hers, as someone who understood it was her film.”
Don’t Worry Darling is scheduled to reach UK cinemas on 23 September.
