A 'screaming match' and Instagram shade: All the Don't Worry Darling drama in one place.

Never has a movie been surrounded by so much controversy. And drama. And gossip. And drama.

Did we mention the drama?

Don't Worry Darling is a film directed by Olivia Wilde, starring Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, and Gemma Chan. Over the past six months, the cast have generated countless headlines about feuds, firings, and wild allegations of public spitting.

A few days ago, there were allegations of a "screaming match" between Wilde and Pugh - which have subsequently been hosed down by the crew.

Now, two of the film's underutilised stars have poked fun at their scenes being left on the 'cutting room floor'.

The drama seemingly never ends.

At this point no one really cares whether the movie is good or not - we're lining up to see it just because we're invested in what's been happening behind the scenes.

You know what they say: "All publicity is good publicity." 

Here's everything you need to know about all the Don't Worry Darling drama. (Well, you don't really NEED to know... but you probably want to).

Two stars call out the film for cutting most of their scenes.

On Instagram, actors Kiki Layne and Ari'el Stachel joked about being cut from most of the film.

They play a couple, and Kiki's character's arc in particular becomes the catalyst for Pugh's character Alice's entire journey in the film. But they have very limited screen time.

"The best thing about #DontWorryDarling is that I was lucky enough to meet @arielstachel," Layne wrote in an Instagram post.

"They cut us from most of the movie, but we thriving in real life."

She used hashtags #GotMyCheck #GotMyMan #EverythingHappensforaReason.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by KiKi Layne (@kikilayne)

Gemma Chan, who also stars in the film, commented a heart under her post.

Stachel also joked about being cut in a TiKTok video.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ari'el Stachel (@arielstachel)

40 crew and production team members dispute Don't Worry Darling on-set tensions.

Over the weekend, 40 members of the crew and production team on Don't Worry Darling hit back at media outlets for reporting tension and conflict on the set, particularly between Wilde and Pugh.

On Friday, Vulture reported that an unnamed insider who spent significant time on set witnessed a "screaming match" between the two A-listers. It was a "blowout argument" that apparently happened three-quarters of the way through filming, and was due to Wilde's "frequent, unexplained absences".

According to the insider, Wilde and her partner, Styles, who of course stars in the film, would "just disappear".

Following the reports of this latest drama, the crew from the film has released an exclusive statement to People.

"As a crew, we've avoided addressing the absurd gossip surrounding the movie we're so proud of, but feel the need to correct the anonymous 'sources' quoted in a recent article," the statement begins. "Any allegations about unprofessional behaviour on the set of Don't Worry Darling are completely false."

They then went on to call Wilde "an incredible leader and director who was present with and involved in every aspect of production" and said she "ran this set with class and respect for everyone involved."

"There was never a screaming match between our director and anyone, let alone a member of our cast. We are happy to put our names on this, as real people who worked on the film, and who have witnessed and benefitted from the collaborative and safe space Olivia creates as a director and leader," the statement continued.

"We're also thrilled that the movie is in theatres this weekend. We can't wait for you to see it on the big screen."

Miri Yoon, a producer for Don't Worry Darling, also told People, "Rumours of screaming matches between our director and leading lady on set are completely unfounded. We truly hope you enjoy the movie."

The film's Venice Film Festival premiere.

Don't Worry Darling premiered at the very glitzy Venice Film Festival on September 5, offering us our first glimpse at the entire cast together after MONTHS of speculation.

Image: Getty. But, of course, the premiere didn't come without drama.

Firstly, just days earlier it was confirmed that Venice would be Pugh's only promotional engagement. That is an incredibly rare, and unusual, move by the lead actress of a project.

She had only done one magazine profile, for Harper's Bazaar, ahead of the festival and actually missed most of the press there too: she didn't make it to the cast press conference and photo call, with her flight landing in the afternoon only giving her time to get to the premiere later in the evening.

The official line is that she's busy filming Dune: Part Two in Budapest - in fact, she's expected to be back at work in Hungary tomorrow - but that also seems mighty convenient given, uh, all of... this. 

At the press conference, Wilde said it was a "shame" Pugh couldn't make it.

"Can you just clear the air and address if there's been a falling out there and if so why? Because it's something that people are discussing," a reporter asked.

"Florence is a force, and we are so grateful that she's able to make it tonight despite being in production on Dune," Wilde responded.

"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 [Dune director] Denis Villeneuve for helping us. And 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.

"As for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, I mean, the internet feeds itself," she continued. "I don't feel the need to contribute. It's sufficiently well nourished."

The next question then asked Wilde about the controversy surrounding Shia LaBeouf (more on that below), but was shut down by the panel's moderator.

Pugh eventually arrived for the red carpet, looking fantastic in Valentino. But over on Instagram, her stylist uploaded a series of pics, captioned... "Miss Flo", the name Wilde called her in a recently leaked video, which many saw as patronising. Eek.

After it all wrapped up, the world's least toxic place, Twitter, went through the footage with a fine-toothed comb, searching for any further drama.

AND THEY FOUND SOME.

Did Harry Styles SPIT on... Chris Pine?

So this allegation got blown out of proportion big time! Users were debating the below footage, and whether Harry Styles had SPAT on Chris Pine as he sat down in the theatre.

#HarryStyles appears to spit on Chris Pine i won't sleep until i know the truth pic.twitter.com/wLXjIHTYgU

— JZMaclin (@Mac70J) September 6, 2022

Pine appeared to stop clapping and looked down after the ~alleged~ spit, and truly... it was unclear, but either way HOW DID WE GET HERE? WHAT IS GOING ON? WHAT HAS THIS MOVIE DONE TO PEOPLE?

After almost a full day of speculation, slow-mo versions of the video, zooming in and fans losing their minds, a 'source close to Styles', who, it must be said, never comments on anything denied it was true.

"This is not true," a 'source' told The Guardian, succinctly.

Later, Pine's rep released a statement also denying it.

"This is a ridiculous story — a complete fabrication and the result of an odd online illusion that is clearly deceiving and allows for foolish speculation," the rep told Variety.

"Just to be clear, Harry Styles did not spit on Chris Pine. There is nothing but respect between these two men and any suggestion otherwise is a blatant attempt to create drama that simply does not exist."

Olivia Wilde responds.

During her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the actor and film director set the record straight after dubbing the bizarre event "Spitgate". 

She called it one of the "weird rumours" that is surrounding the film.. and wow, you don't say... 

Wilde stated that Styles indeed "did not" spit on Pine. 

“People will look for drama anywhere they can. Harry did not spit on Chris, in fact.” -- @oliviawilde on #spitgate

More tonight on @CBS at 11:35/10:35c. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/RQS54WJH0G

— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) September 22, 2022

"But I think it's a perfect example of like: people will look for drama anywhere they can," she said.

When Colbert (understandably) joked that "only time" can tell if the rumours are actually true, Wilde reiterated, "No, he really didn't!"

Harry Styles responds.

And a New York concert following Venice, Styles responded to the whole schmozzle, joking to the crowd: "It's wonderful to be back in New York; I just popped very quickly to Venice to spit on Chris Pine."

Harry Styles: "It's wonderful, wonderful, wonderful to be back in New York. I just popped very quickly to Venice to spit on Chris Pine." pic.twitter.com/TUGOSoQPxw

— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) September 8, 2022

Imagine if someone told you a year ago "just to be clear, Harry Styles did not spit on Chris Pine" would be a sentence that made sense.

So, I guess that's an emphatic "No" to what will forever be known as Spitgate.

The first Venice reviews are now out... and they're not great.

Do you know what sums up this film's PR perfectly? Outlets cannot agree on whether the Venice crowd gave Don't Worry Darling a four- or five-minute standing ovation. 

Sounds good, doesn't it? I wouldn't read much into it, though. Venice premieres are basically the clapping Olympics. And Pugh left three minutes into it, according to journalists in the room.

The 4-minute standing ovation for #DontWorryDarling would've probably gone on longer if Florence Pugh hadn’t made her way for the exit about three minutes into the clapping, prompting the rest of the cast — with Wilde at the end — to follow her. https://t.co/sP9Kb7ztqs

— Variety (@Variety) September 5, 2022

Plus, reviews are not... good. At all.

I guess we should explain quickly what the movie is about, right? Pugh and Styles play Alice and Jack Chambers, a young, happy couple in the 1950s, living in the seemingly perfect company town of Victory, California, which has been created and paid for by the mysterious company Jack is working for. But Alice soon begins to find cracks in their supposed 'Utopia', and, shockingly, it turns out things are not as they seem.

The Guardian's headline is savage enough, before you even get into the copy: "Don’t Worry Darling review – panic! Harry Styles drama offers cause for concern".

It gives the film two out of five stars.

The Hollywood Reporter called the film's big reveal "like a Black Mirror episode that should have been sent back to the writers' room for another pass or two".

Rolling Stone praised Pugh's acting, but lamented a lack of chemistry between the leads and said "there are too many moments when you feel like Pugh, doing her usual stellar, steely-meets-vulnerable protagonist act, isn't try to escape a waking nightmare so much as a movie that's been forcibly relocated to Harry's House".

The jist: Pugh is fantastic, as per usual, Styles is meh, and the screenplay is bad. So, will this drama be its saving grace? I mean, we all still want to see it, because of the mess...

Shia LaBeouf quit the film. 

Alright, so now Venice is out of the way, let's go back to all the gossip haunting this film for the past few months.

Firstly, about the casting of Jack, the husband to Pugh's Alice.

Wilde initially had Styles in mind for the character of Jack in Don't Worry Darling, but since he was touring, it didn't work out. LaBeouf was brought on instead.

Just as production was starting in 2020, Wilde supposedly fired LaBeouf. At the time, it was cited as a scheduling conflict, but in her recent cover story with Variety, Wilde hinted at 'what really happened'.

Oooooh.

"I say this as someone who is such an admirer of [LaBeouf's] work. His process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions. He has a process that, in some ways, seems to require a combative energy, and I don't personally believe that is conducive to the best performances," she said. 

"I believe that creating a safe, trusting environment is the best way to get people to do their best work. Ultimately, my responsibility is to the production and to the cast to protect them. That was my job."

However, LaBeouf then responded to refute this.

In an email sent to Variety, the actor forwarded two emails he claimed to have sent to Wilde after her cover story was published. 

"I am a little confused about the narrative that I was fired, however," he wrote in the email. "You and I both know the reasons for my exit. I quit your film because your actors and I couldn’t find time to rehearse."

He continued: "Firing me never took place, Olivia. And while I fully understand the attractiveness of pushing that story because of the current social landscape, the social currency that brings. It is not the truth. So I am humbly asking, as a person with an eye toward making things right, that you correct the narrative as best you can."

The actor also shared a video with the publication that Wilde allegedly sent him, two days after he claimed he quit. 

"I feel like I’m not ready to give up on this yet, and I, too, am heartbroken and I want to figure this out," the director said in the video.

"You know, I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re open to giving this a shot with me, with us. 

"If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace - and I respect your point of view, I respect hers - but if you guys can do it, what do you think? Is there hope? Will you let me know?"

SOMEONE HOLD ME BACK

(the video olivia sent shia where she basically begged him to stay on the movie after ADMITTING that she knows shia makes florence uncomfortable) pic.twitter.com/ihlHOQlF6B

— percy 🌊 || who the fuck’s gonna stop us ? (@percystardust) August 26, 2022

In early September, the same source that leaked that video released a series of (unverified) texts that allegedly showed Pugh and LeBeouf texting before he left the film, where they acknowledged issues surrounding the lack of rehearsal time as Pugh was mourning a friend's death and spending time isolating in the UK.

After his exit from the production, LaBeouf's ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs spoke out about the abuse she suffered at his hands and sued him for sexual battery. The case will go to trial next year.

"A lot came to light after this happened that really troubled me, in terms of his behaviour. I find myself just really wishing him health and evolution because I believe in restorative justice," Wilde told Variety. "But for our film, what we really needed was an energy that was incredibly supportive. Particularly with a movie like this, I knew that I was going to be asking Florence to be in very vulnerable situations, and my priority was making her feel safe and making her feel supported."

Styles' 2020 tour did not go ahead because of You Know What and he became available to play the character of Jack, thus taking over from LaBeouf.

"We found the perfect Jack, and luckily, it’s kind of magical that it ended up being our first choice," Wilde said.

Ironically, Styles ended up being her first choice in the romance department too, which leads to our next subheading...

Wilde and Styles are dating (although they have not said they are).

When they met on the set of Don't Worry Darling in September 2020, Wilde was still engaged to Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis.

Styles and Wilde were spotted holding hands at the wedding of his manager and friend in January 2021, and that was that. Since then they've been papped numerous times kissing and canoodling, like any normal couple. And, like any normal couple, they have not said, "We are together", because it is pretty stupid to have to say that. 

There have been numerous headlines around the couple's relationship owing to their 10-year age gap [she is 38, he is 28] and the fact that Styles is a very famous man with a large fanbase.

Whatever. They seem really happy.

"I’m not going to say anything about it because I’ve never seen a relationship benefit from being dragged into the public arena," Wilde said. "We both go out of our way to protect our relationship; I think it’s out of experience, but also just out of deep love."

In his own August profile with Rolling Stone, Styles once again avoided answering relationship questions.

"Sometimes people say, 'You've only publicly been with women,' and I don't think I’ve publicly been with anyone. If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn't mean you're choosing to have a public relationship or something."

Wilde was served custody papers while on stage.

Prior to dating Styles, Wilde was engaged to Sudeikis for seven years. They share two young children, Otis and Daisy. They publicly ended their relationship in November 2020, with some sources saying they had split much earlier than that.

In April this year, while on stage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas to promote her movie, Wilde was served custody papers from Sudeikis. Afterwards, Sudeikis released a statement saying he had no prior knowledge of when the papers would be served and he did not condone how it was done.

Olivia Wilde with the custody papers on stage at CinemaCon. Image: Greg Doherty/Getty Images. 

"It was my workplace. In any other workplace, it would be seen as an attack. It was really upsetting. It shouldn’t have been able to happen. There was a huge breach in security, which is really scary. The hurdles that you had to jump through to get into that room with several badges, plus special COVID tests that had to be taken days in advance, which gave you wristbands that were necessary to gain access to the event - this was something that required forethought," Wilde told Variety.

"I hated that this nastiness distracted from the work of so many different people and the studio that I was up there representing. To try to sabotage that was really vicious. But I had a job to do; I'm not easily distracted. But, you know, sadly, it was not something that was entirely surprising to me. I mean, there’s a reason I left that relationship."

Jesus. Someone get Sudeikis some water because he has just been scorched.

"The only people who suffered were my kids, because they'll have to see that, and they shouldn't ever have to know that happened. For me, it was appalling, but the victims were an eight- and five-year-old, and that's really sad," she continued. "I chose to become an actress; I willingly walked into the spotlight. But it's not something my children have asked for. And when my kids are dragged into it, it's deeply painful."

I can hear the sound of Ted Lasso fans' hearts crumbling to pieces.

Everyone (aka internet sleuths) thinks Wilde and Pugh are feuding.

The internet is a weird and wonderful place. Mostly weird, though.

Basically, the gist of the rumour of this "feud" comes down to Pugh not sharing or liking anything to do with Don't Worry Darling [she posted the trailer on her Instagram on August 12, just so you know, and has documented her short trip to Venice].

Wilde has put up a few gushing captions on Instagram which Pugh didn't react to, as internet sleuths gleefully pointed out. Page Six then ran a story quoting a "source" who claimed Pugh was unhappy with the relationship between Wilde and Styles.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Olivia Wilde (@oliviawilde)

Neither Wilde nor Pugh has publicly commented on this supposed feud, and Wilde has continually heaped praise on the young actor.

There was also a report that Styles was paid more than three times the amount of Pugh, which Wilde denied. 

"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," she told Variety.

"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."

But it has become increasingly hard to ignore the validity of the 'feud' claims, even if we don't know all the details.

Besides the lack of social media support, the Venice Film Festival showing has only seemed to throw fuel on the fire, as there was little to no interaction between Pugh and Wilde despite this being their film's big night.

The only photos of them where in cast group shots, with the other actors placed between them. Instead, Pugh was noticeably having a good time and spending her time with co-stars Nick Kroll, Gemma Chan and Chris Pine. She was not seen greeting Wilde, nor Styles.

Reports from the theatre also stated Pugh and Wilde avoided eye contact throughout the standing ovation post-screening, and that Pugh left the theatre before the clapping.

So, to make the obvious joke, we're all really bloody worried, darling.

This article was originally published on August 25, 2022 and has since been updated with new information.

Feature image: Twitter.

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