A 2019 clip of Olivia Wilde saying that a bad movie “is the director’s fault” has come back to bite her

It’s fair to say that it’s been a rocky few weeks for Olivia Wilde with the release of her latest film, don’t worry darling shrouded in controversy.

The two women appeared to be at odds over the hypersexualized manner don’t worry darling is being marketed, and Florence is also said to have been “uncomfortable” when Olivia and Harry began a relationship while working on the film.

Florence seemed reluctant to promote the film on social media, repeatedly ignoring Olivia’s Instagram posts about her. But amid the tension, Olivia spoke highly of her leading lady, even claiming she fired Shia LaBeouf from the film and replaced him with Harry to “protect” Florence.

Shia was originally cast in the role of Florence’s character’s husband, Jack, but he abruptly left the project in August 2020 — before filming had even begun.

“What we really needed for our film was an incredibly supportive energy,” she said in explaining Shia’s departure. “Especially with a film like this, I knew I would ask Florence to be in very vulnerable situations and my priority was to make her feel safe and supportive.”

But just two weeks ago, Shia rebuked that narrative by releasing a series of email and text exchanges he had with Olivia, as well as a video of her that painted a very different picture.

After meeting face-to-face to discuss Shia’s concerns that he didn’t have enough time to rehearse for the August 2020 film, Olivia texted him: “Thank you for sharing your thought process with me . I know this is no fun. It doesn’t feel good to say no to someone, and I respect your honesty. I am honored that you were willing to go there with me to share a story with you. I’m disappointed because it could have been something special. I want to make it clear how much it means to me that you trust me. It’s a gift I’ll take with me.”

In the clip, Olivia appears upset when she tells Shia that “Miss Flo” needs a “wake-up call.” She said on camera, “I feel like I’m not ready to give that up yet and I too am heartbroken and I want to find out.”

“You know, I think this might be a little wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re willing to try me, us,” she continued. “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?”

Shia also revealed that he recently privately emailed Olivia because he was “a little confused by the narrative” that she had “fired” him. When she didn’t respond to his messages, he made them public as well.

Olivia did not respond publicly at the time, but shortly after the video leaked it was confirmed that Florence’s only press engagement for the film would be to take part in the don’t worry darling Premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

This came on Monday after an awkward press conference with Olivia and some other cast members, where she awkwardly dodged a question about Florence’s absence and Shia’s exposé.

Things got even more chaotic on the red carpet as Florence gave a warm welcome to everyone who had worked on the film, save for Olivia and Harry, who she kept her distance from the whole time.

Adding to an already chaotic situation, Harry appeared to be deliberately avoiding Olivia, and the three were separated by other cast members during group photos and when seated in the theater.

As if the apparent tension between Florence and Olivia wasn’t enough, Harry’s behavior towards the director also sparked speculation that they had broken up. And just when it couldn’t seem to get any more dramatic, #Spitgate came along.

A video of the moment went viral on social media, and everyone analyzed the evidence that this had happened until Chris’ rep vehemently denied the claims on Tuesday.

In short, the rollout for don’t worry darling was a mess from start to finish, but did it at least get good reviews in the end?

Um… The answer is no. While Florence’s performance was widely praised, the film itself currently has a rating of 43% on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, which analyzes and averages all critics’ reviews.

Writing for the Guardian, said Pete Bradshaw don’t worry darling: “He haughtily pinches ideas from other films without really understanding how and why they worked in the first place.”

Owen Gleiberman wrote for Variety, “To really work, the film had to catch up with us, be insidious and surprising… Instead, it’s obviously ominous.” Kate Erbland wrote in IndieWire, “If this film is really about female pleasure , we’d hate to see Wilde’s take on a film about female pain. This one hurts enough.”

David Fear’s Rolling Stone review states: “don’t worry darling plays like a bad Op-Ed article trying to trick you into believing that his good intentions are more meaningful and sincere than they actually are. And Steph Green wrote in her BBC review: “Loaded with half-baked, risk-free ideas that do little to shock or upset.”

Richard Lawson added for Vanity Fair: “don’t worry darling glides along, its jumble of repurposed elements in vivid enough harmony, until it’s time to pack up and really get into what’s happening with Alice. That’s it then [the] The screenplay falters, as does Wilde’s direction.”

And now an old interview with Olivia has returned to haunt her, with the actor-turned-director insisting in the resurfaced clip that a bad movie is just a reflection on a bad director.

During a 2019 interview with Stephen Colbert The Late Show, Olivia said with a smile: “You know, if a movie is bad, it’s the director’s fault. And if anyone tries…”

“Why didn’t you portray this actor better?‘ Stefan interjected.

“Exactly!” Olivia agreed. “It really is. It’s really the director’s fault.”

Olivia also sparked fresh backlash on Thursday when she doubled down on her claim that she fired Shia in her Vanity Fair interview — though he appeared to publicly refute that less than two weeks ago.

A source also claimed that Olivia made Shia “believe what he wanted to believe: that he quit” to spare his ego. However, this is not reflected in the texts, emails and videos he provides.

Florence herself also subtly confirmed the leaked video of Olivia, with her stylist captioning behind-the-scenes photos of her at the Venice Film Festival “Miss Flo,” which Florence liked.

And in her only press interview for the film, she seemed to hint at her uncomfortable experience don’t worry darling As she said: “I find it very, very inspiring to see a woman push back and say ‘no’ and question everything and it’s very exciting to watch a woman do that [on] and off camera.”