2022's psychological sci-fi thriller, Don't Worry Darling, arguably gained more attention for the (alleged) behind-the-scenes conflict between star Florence Pugh and director Olivia Wilde than for its tepid critical and commercial reception, and a new report is now claiming to have finally shed some light on what went down on the set.
Though Pugh and Wilde both declined to comment on the rumors in interviews around the time of the film's release, there was a notable lack of interaction between the two during the movie's world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, and tabloid reports claimed that Wilde's relationship with star Harry Styles ultimately caused a rift between Pugh and her director.
The story went that Wilde was missing from the set so much that Pugh ended up helming some of the film herself, but according to a producer (who wishes to remain anonymous) who reached out to World of Reel, this is only partially accurate.
“On the days Wilde disappeared, Florence [Pugh] and Matthew [Libatique] were in charge but I’d say it was more Matthew who kept the shoot rolling. They couldn’t really afford to have the movie shut down so he tried to follow Olivia’s vision as much as he could. Once Olivia got back on set, as if nothing had happened, that’s when Pugh lost it on her.”
Apparently, Wilde would "breeze in" as if nothing had happened, without so much as acknowledging the extra work done by Libatique and Pugh to keep things on schedule. This is what is believed to have led to the "loud disagreement," as the Hawkeye star took the actress-turned-filmmaker to task.
It'll be interesting to see if Wilde has any response, but since actors/directors are not allowed to do any promotion during the strikes, we probably won't hear anything for the next while.
What do you make of this? Did you see Don't Worry Darling? Drop us a comment down below.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.