Olivia Wilde Shuts Down Questions About Florence Pugh Or Shia LaBeouf
She's done hearing about any of it.
Something is happening with Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh that has overshadowed their artistic efforts in Wilde’s newest directorial project. Their film, Don’t Worry Darling, is currently premiering at the Venice Film Festival to much applause and a lot of behind-the-scenes press. Wilde is noted for a personal relationship with pop star Harry Styles, who stars alongside Pugh in the psychological drama. As her second go-round as director, after the well-received Booksmart, Wilde was probably hoping her newest film would be the talk of the festival for different reasons. However, it appears that drama has been unfolding lately about Pugh and Shia LaBeouf that has taken center stage.
According to a story from The Hollywood Reporter, Olivia Wilde has chosen not to talk about casting decisions she made in pre-production on Don’t Worry Darling, including swapping Shia LaBeouf for Harry Styles to play the male lead in the film. She is deciding to shut down anyone who brings LaBeouf’s name up, especially considering leaked videos that have emerged recently that shed some light on the drama that went on during filming on the set. BuzzFeed News reports that Florence Pugh will not be attending a press conference for the movie, even though she participated in the film’s premiere in Venice. She will focus on other projects rather than promote the controversial film. Pugh’s dismissal of the movie, in addition to Wilde’s feud with the actor, seems to be prompting discussions in the press about the two women’s ability to work together.
Much of the drama between Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh seems to stem from confusion about Shia LaBeouf’s exit from filming Don’t Worry Darling. According to People, Wilde believes much of the confusion is tabloid gossip and that LaBeouf was fired from the project. However, LaBeouf has stated the opposite in podcast interviews in recent weeks. He confirms that he quit the film altogether, and a video leaked showing Wilde begging for LaBeouf to stay in the movie while she tries to play down a supposed disagreement he might have had with Florence Pugh. Since then, Harry Styles was hired to replace LaBeouf, and the finished film is set to debut on September 23rd to a wider audience.
Even though Olivia Wilde is dismissing the drama as gossip and wants to steer the press coverage of Don’t Worry Darling towards the film itself, it seems that the drama is still unfolding in Venice. Florence Pugh will not be doing any more press for the movie before it is released in theaters and will most likely focus more on filming Dune: Part Two, which is currently in production. The actor has also recently wrapped on Christopher Nolan’s epic Oppenheimer, starring an ensemble cast that includes Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Robert Downey Jr. Wilde is traversing an ongoing battle with her ex-boyfriend Jason Sudeikis over custody of their two children, in addition to constant questioning about her now public relationship with Harry Styles. For his part, Shia LaBeouf has signed onto Francis Ford Coppola’s newest project, Megalopolis, alongside Aubrey Plaza, which should begin filming soon.
