Earlier this month there was speculation that Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde had fallen out over the collaboration don’t worry darling came to a head when the entire cast reunited at the film’s deeply awkward Venice premiere.
The awkward event seemed to confirm the swirling rumors for everyone, with Florence deliberately avoiding Olivia throughout the night after opting to skip a joint press conference earlier that day.
But to really understand the nuances of the stars’ behavior at the premiere, we have to go back to February 2021 — when the first hint that all was not well between the two women surfaced.
This is when it is being worked on don’t worry darling wrapped up, and Florence – who plays lead character Alice – paid tribute to various crew members of the shoot in a lengthy Instagram caption as she shared a selection of behind-the-scenes photos.
Fans were quick to notice that the film’s director, Olivia, wasn’t mentioned at all in the post, and since then Florence seems reluctant to discuss the film in any way, and has been on her very active social media page hardly posted about it.
It was also noted that Florence completely ignored a post Olivia made in honor of her work on the film.
But things got really messy just last month when Florence and Olivia gave interviews that squarely contradicted each other’s views don’t worry darling.
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar in August, Florence admitted she wasn’t happy with the hypersexualized way the film was being marketed, with particular reference to a graphic sex scene included in its trailer.
But Olivia had previously told Vogue that depicting female pleasure on screen was one of her priorities when making the film, and was obviously thrilled when the trailer’s sex scene was praised by the Clit Test for “showing how it’s done”. .
Speaking to Variety shortly after the interview with Florence aired, Olivia defied her leading lady’s stance by insisting that the sex scenes were “an integral part” of the plot, after boasting to the publication that “men in this film not occur”.
“Female pleasure, the best versions of it that you see these days, is in queer movies,” Olivia added. “Why are we more comfortable with female pleasure when there are two women in the film? In straight scenes in the film, the focus on men as recipients of pleasure is almost ubiquitous.”
Another strain on the feud involves Shia LaBeouf, who was originally cast alongside Florence in 2020. He abruptly left the project before filming began and was replaced by Harry Styles.
While working on the film together, Olivia and Harry formed a romantic relationship that reportedly made Florence “awkward.” It has also been claimed that Florence had to direct parts of the film herself because Olivia was so distracted with Harry.
Additionally, Olivia has repeatedly claimed that she chose to let Shia leave the film because Florence wasn’t happy working with him and she has a strict “no assholes” policy on set.
Last month, she told Variety that Shia had “a combative energy,” so she let him walk away from the project to “protect” Florence and make her feel “safe.”
But just days after the interview was published, Shia retaliated by providing Variety with a series of receipts that seemingly proved he had made up his mind to leave don’t worry darling because he felt he didn’t have enough time to rehearse.
The evidence included a video message Olivia sent him asking him to reconsider his decision to quit, as she referred to Florence as “Miss Flo” and said she needed a “wake-up call”.
In the clip that later leaked online, Olivia told Shia, “I feel like I’m not ready to give that up yet and I’m heartbroken too and I want to find out. You know, I think this could be a little wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re willing to try me, us.”
“If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you can make peace – and I respect your point of view, I respect hers – but if you can do it, what do you think? Is there hope? Will you let me know?” She added.
While Florence didn’t publicly respond to the leaked video, her stylist referenced what Florence liked in an Instagram post from the Venice Film Festival.
Although the tension between the two women is palpable now, you might be surprised to know it wasn’t always like this, and when Florence was first cast in the film, she called Olivia her “idol.”
Announcing the 2020 news on social media, Florence wrote: “@oliviawilde just tagged me in a picture *pant #1* @oliviawilde cast me in a movie *pant #2* @oliviawilde is my idol and allowed me to be a part of this bloody incredible cast. Shia?!? Chris?!? *pant #3*”
And a resurfaced video from November 2019 has now reiterated how much Florence admired the director as she discussed her work with fellow actress Beanie Feldstein.
In diversity Actors over actors series, Florence and Beanie sat down to discuss their careers, with Beanie having just starred in Olivia’s directorial debut, book smart.
Unable to hide her feelings for Olivia at the time, Florence asked, “What was it like working with Olivia Wilde? Because I’m totally in love with her.”
And Beanie was confident the two women would get along, replying: “I think you and Olivia would be so attracted to each other because she’s just as fearless as you, and her work on and off screen is amazing. “
Florence smiled as she agreed, “I can say that.”
This exchange has recently gained prominence on TikTok don’t worry darling Drama, with many people sharing her sympathy for Florence after she was seemingly abandoned by someone she admired so much.
“This is so sad for me :/” one person commented. Another remarked, “Never meet your heroes.”
“Well that hasn’t aged well, it has 💀,” wrote another. While another commented, “Serious shit must have happened for her to go from THIS to complete silence.”
Shortly after the awkward premiere earlier in the month, Olivia sparked backlash when she doubled down on her claim that she fired Shia – despite the evidence he provided to the contrary.
The Vanity Fair interview took place before Shia released his receipts, and the article read: “During pre-production, Wilde told me in London, Pugh told her she was uncomfortable with LaBeouf’s behavior. Wilde says she herself called LaBeouf and fired him.”
“My responsibility was to her. I’m like a mother wolf. It was difficult to make the call, but somehow he understood,” Olivia told the publication at the time. “I don’t think it would have been a process he would have enjoyed. He goes to work with an intensity that can be combative. It wasn’t the ethos I demand in my productions. I want him to get healthy and develop because I think it’s a huge loss to the film industry when someone with that much talent isn’t able to work.”
When contacted by the journalist after Shia appeared to publicly refute Olivia’s account, Olivia claimed that the text screenshots he provided were taken out of context and did not mention the leaked video.
A source also claimed Shia asked Olivia to choose between him and Florence, and Vanity Fair reported that Olivia made Shia “believe what he wanted to believe: that he quit” to spare his ego.
In the meantime, don’t worry darling had a second premiere in New York on Monday, which Florence didn’t attend, and neither did her co-star Chris Pine.
Both cited other filming commitments for their absence, which Florence is currently working on Dune: Part Two in Budapest and Chris was shooting in Los Angeles.
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