Tensions flare amongst castmates as there is much to worry about when it comes to those involved with the psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling, directed by Olivia Wilde. Before it even got to its Venice Film Festival premiere, there was drama stewing in what could be the most oddly messy press tour. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with the film directly but with the off-screen drama of the cast. To better understand, we’re here to cut the tension with a knife. 

You’ve been Served

Papers. You’ve been served papers. During director Olivia Wilde’s CinemaCon presentation, she was served divorce papers while on stage discussing the making of her upcoming film, Don’t Worry Darling. Though the divorce has nothing to do with the film, it’s interesting that this is the first negative omen surrounding this movie. Of course, we had no idea all the other things that would unfold, but we would be remiss not to say that this is the start of the public spiral of suspense. 

You’re Fired

But not really. In a cover story, Olivia Wilde did with Variety, Wilde shared her thoughts on Shia LaBeouf’s departure from the film. 

“I say this as someone who is such an admirer of his 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. 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,” Wilde said.

 

After this interview, Shia wanted to clear the air since he felt he was never fired from the project. Below is an excerpt from his response from the Variety article. 

“What inspired this email today is your latest Variety story. I am greatly honored by your words on my work; thank you, that felt good to read. I am a little confused about the narrative that I was fired, however. You and I both know the reasons for my exit. I quit your film because your actors & I couldn’t find time to rehearse. I have included as a reminder the screenshots of our text exchange on that day, and my text to Tobey.

I know that you are beginning your press run for DWD and that the news of my firing is attractive clickbait, as I am still persona-non-grata and may remain as such for the rest of my life. But, speaking of my daughter, I often think about the news articles she will read when she is literate. And though I owe, and will owe for the rest of my life, I only owe for my actions.

My failings with Twigs are fundamental and real, but they are not the narrative that has been presented. There is a time and a place to deal with such things, and I am trying to navigate a nuanced situation with respect for her and the truth, hence my silence. But this situation with your film and my “firing” will never have a court date with which to deal with the facts. If lies are repeated enough in the public they become truth. And so, it makes it that much harder for me to crawl out of the hole I have dug with my behaviors, to be able to provide for my family…”

As mentioned, there are some text messages released to further back Shia’s story. As we know, there’s his side, her side, and the truth, but one thing consistent here is another blemish on people involved with Don’t Worry Darling. 

What We’re Not Going To Do…..

….Is attend the Don’t Worry Darling press conference at the Venice Film Festival. One of the film stars, Florence Pugh, was heavily missed for many of the film’s promotional circuits. The reasoning is said to be scheduling conflicts due to her filming Dune 2, also a Warner Bros project. Still, rumors have been swirling that it’s really because of the conflict between Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh. Supposedly Florence wasn’t happy about Wilde paying Harry Styles more attention during filming and often disappearing from the set with him. If you don’t know, Wilde and Styles have been dating and only currently are rumored not to be together anymore. During a press conference at Venice Film Festival, Wilde, address the rumors about Florence and her lack thereof relationship by stating

 “We are so grateful she’s able to make it tonight [for the red carpet] despite being in production on ‘Dune.’ I know, as a director, how disruptive it is to lose an actor even for a day, so I’m very grateful to her, and to [‘Dune’ director Denis Villeneuve] for helping us. And we’ll get to celebrate her work tonight. I can’t say how honored I am to have her as our lead. She’s amazing.”

Pugh still hasn’t commented.

Sounds like professionally staying respectful, but they’re not friends. Oh, the drama! 

Any press is good press, so they say, but there’s been a lot of strange energy surrounding the cast of this film, this Don’t Worry Darling drama stands out just as much as the Venice Film Festival fashion, and the one continuous thread in each story is Olivia Wilde. This doesn’t mean she’s an evil being but is Olvia Wilde the drama? Usually, when there’s all this tension, personal growth happens. Is this weird, dramatic, tense press run going to hurt the film set to release in theatres on September 23rd? Probably not. It might make more people check it out.