Drama among the cast and crew has again threatened to overwhelm the release of Don’t Worry Darling, with Harry Styles appearing to spit on co-star Chris Pine at the premiere.
A viral clip shared on social media on Tuesday (Australian time) shows Styles walking to a seat next to Pine for the movie’s screening at the Venice Film Festival – when he seemingly spits on his fellow actor as he sits down.
Pine, who had director Olivia Wilda on his other side, can’t hide his disbelief at the hostile moment. He pauses as he claps, and then smirks.
The footage ends with a stunned Pine staring at Styles.
Debate raged on social media on Tuesday about whether Styles did spit on Pine, despite the incident being captured from multiple angles.
It is just the latest in signs of tensions on the set and during the press tour of Don’t Worry Darling that have been the subject of widespread reports.
They include claims of a falling out between Wilde and lead actress Florence Pugh during filming of the psychological thriller.
Pugh skipped a press appearance in Venice on Monday, apparently because she was on a later flight after leaving the set of Dune, where she has been filming. That left Wilde – who appeared alongside Styles, Pine and Gemma Chan – to face questions about the pair’s alleged disagreement.
“Florence is a force, and we are so grateful that she’s able to make it tonight 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, to Denis Villeneuve for helping us,” Wilde said.
“We’re really thrilled we’ll get to celebrate her work tonight. I can’t say enough how honoured I am to have her as our lead. She’s amazing in the film.”
The questions followed a leaked video that Wilde allegedly sent to Shia LaBeouf went viral on social media. LaBeouf quit Don’t Worry Darling shortly after, and was replaced by Styles.
Reports from July suggest Wilde’s on-set romance with Styles “did not go down well” with Pugh, as it started when the director was allegedly still with her ex-partner Jason Sudeikis.
There were also rumours – denied by Wilde – that Pugh was paid less than a third of what Styles earned for the film (a reported $700,000 to Styles’ $2.5 million).
“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 told Variety.
On Monday, she praised Pugh and refused to contribute to the “tabloid gossip” surrounding their relationship.
“As for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, I mean, the internet feeds itself. I don’t feel the need to contribute. I think it’s sufficiently well-nourished,” she said.
Despite the kind words, Variety reports that Wilde and Pugh kept their distance in Venice.
