Florence Pugh has explained why she did not speak about the controversy surrounding the 2022 release of her film Don't Worry Darling.
Pugh, who played Alice Chambers in the Olivia Wilde-directed movie and co-starred with Harry Styles, was the focus of rumours about on-set tension.
She told Vogue's October edition about the issue and discussed her feelings about being publicly bullied.
“There’s so many times when I’ve been doing press for a movie and I am asked questions about [Don’t Worry Darling], and I always think it’s unfair to take the space away from the movie that I’m talking about,” she said. “So I’m going to politely move away from that.
“I had to be public in the past because people were bullying me and bullying my partner.”
Unfortunately, the film’s reviews weren’t so great either, with IMDb giving it 6.3 out of 10. But the Evening Standard’s Charlotte O'Sullivan rated it highly, giving it five stars.
Here’s all you need to know about the film’s controversies.
Why was Don't Worry Darling so controversial?
Several controversies, confirmed and speculative, surrounded Don’t Worry Darling.
On-set tensions: Rumours of tension between Pugh and Olivia Wilde surfaced, with one theory suggesting that Pugh was upset about Wilde's relationship with Styles. This was allegedly due to Wilde still being married to her then-husband, Jason Sudeikis, who is reportedly a friend of Pugh's.
Additionally, it was suggested that Pugh was unhappy about the pay disparity between her and her co-star Styles, though Wilde officially dismissed these claims as "clickbait”.
Shia LaBeouf's departure: This was another major controversy. LaBeouf was initially cast as the lead, Jack, in April 2020, with Wilde set to co-star as Alice, and Pugh in a supporting role. However, roles were switched when the film’s focus shifted to a younger couple, placing Pugh in the lead.
By September 2020, it was announced that LaBeouf had exited the film due to "scheduling conflicts”. In December 2020, it was revealed that Harry Styles would replace him. Wilde later claimed in an August 2022 interview with Variety that she fired LaBeouf to ensure a "safe, trusting environment" on set, citing his "combative energy”.
LaBeouf, however, rejected this account, stating he left voluntarily due to a lack of rehearsal time. He even shared messages and a video from Wilde that suggested she was attempting to keep him involved, adding to the confusion.
Promotion and backlash: During the film's promotion, interactions between the cast (or lack thereof) fuelled more speculation. A 2022 Venice Film Festival incident, where some thought Styles spat on Chris Pine (later denied), further exemplified the media frenzy around the film.
Similarities drawn to It Ends With Us
Blake Lively’s new film It Ends With Us seems to be going down a similar path with its press tour, with rumoured feuds among the cast.
There isn't as much overt proof of drama as Don’t Worry Darling, but online observers have noticed several odd coincidences. Firstly, even though director Justin Baldoni, also known as Rafael from Jane the Virgin, follows every member of the film's cast on Instagram, none follow him.
Secondly, there haven't been many partnered interviews during the press trip, with the actors spending most of the time apart from one another.
On Tuesday, August 6, at the New York premiere, only a small cast group was photographed together. It seemed as though Lively and Colleen Hoover were the only ones to announce the pre-screening, even though the whole ensemble is typically invited to the stage.
i just found out about the whole 'it ends with us' cast drama and omg they asked her what it was like to work with justin and she completely ignored the question 💀 pic.twitter.com/2DdlmvxS4x
— leah doesn't do cocaine (@camis_unicorn) August 7, 2024
Last but not least, Jenny Slate aroused curiosity about the off-screen dynamics when she changed the topic of a journalist's inquiry regarding her collaboration with Baldoni.
