Rarely has a film received publicity as bizarre and messy as Olivia Wilde's sophomore feature, Don't Worry Darling.
Wilde's 2nd challenge — a classy, if half-baked and ultra-derivative, feminist mystery that shies clear of its maximum interesting, most uncomfortable questions — can be a slightly forgettable one, regardless of Florence Pugh's robust central performance. But here's the place the Don't Worry Darling scandals come into play, turning its press tour into a glorious spectacle a lot more intriguing than the film's predictable plot.
Also starring Wilde, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, and Gemma Chan, Don't Worry Darling is also unsatisfying with its unexciting, confusing finishing but the gossip circus surrounding its making and PR would possibly, in the longer term, generate curiosity round it. This vicious cycle fueled through rumors, contradicting statements, and alleged fights may lead some back to where it all began: a movie that used to be at all times going to be a closely scrutinized one.
If the rest, the movie's reception and media coverage may offer a commentary on misogyny in the industry, prompting us to mirror on the explanation why we wish our female filmmakers to be very best, however are much less prone to be lenient against them when they seemingly blow their shot with a not-so-great film and a good worse publicity tour.
6 Olivia Wilde Claimed She Fired Shia LaBeouf From Don't Worry Darling
On August 24, 2022, Olivia Wilde covered Variety, explaining why she allegedly fired Shia LaBeouf from the film. The actor used to be initially tapped to play the position of Pugh's persona Alice's husband Jack, which ultimately was once recast with Styles.
"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," she mentioned in the interview.
"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."
5 LaBeouf Alleged He Quit Don't Worry Darling For A Specific Reason
On August 26, LaBeouf broke his silence on his early departure, telling a different story about how things went down.
He disclosed textual content messages between him and the filmmaker and a video the place Wilde says she is "not ready to give up on this yet" and alludes to a disagreement between LaBeouf and Pugh.
He additionally forwarded Variety an e mail he claimed to have despatched Wilde after her duvet tale broke, explaining that he wasn't fired, but left voluntarily as a result of the actors did not have time to rehearse.
"You and I both know the reasons for my exit. I quit your film because your actors & I couldn't find time to rehearse," LaBeouf wrote in his email.
4 Harry Styles Replaced LaBoeuf In The Role Of Jack In Don't Worry Darling
Once LaBeouf exited Don't Worry Darling, Wilde forged Styles in the position of Jack. It was September 2020 and the two weren't in a relationship yet.
The romance could have blossomed on set in a while, with a Vulture file alleging that Wilde and Pugh had a blowout argument in January 2021.
An unnamed source claimed that Pugh wasn't impressed with Wilde's "frequent, unexplained absences" — which will have had a connection together with her relationship with Styles.
"Olivia and Harry would just disappear," the insider further alleged.
3 Florence Pugh Didn't Initially Promote Don't Worry Darling
While the alleged fight wasn't showed, it turned into clear that something was once off when Pugh did not seem to promote the movie on her social media and skipped the Venice Film Festival press conference and the New York City premiere in early September.
"From what I understand, there is friction, however I don't know why," a supply advised Rolling Stone at the time.
"It's pretty clear [Florence is] choosing not to be a part of the PR. It's clearly not beneficial to Olivia to not have her be a part of the PR. It has to be a Florence decision."
Pugh, however, attended the Venice premiere and took to her Instagram on September 23 this 12 months to acknowledge the movie, though and not using a particular shoutout to Wilde or any of her co-stars.
2 Harry Styles And The Spitgate At The Venice Premiere Of Don't Worry Darling
The movie's premiere at Venice Film Festival was once also at the heart of controversy over a viral video of Styles through which he seems to be spitting on his co-star Chris Pine.
Wilde denied the incident happened on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on September 22, announcing: "He did not, but I think it's a perfect example of people will look for drama anywhere they can. Harry did not spit on Chris, in fact."
"People can look at a video that shows evidence of not spitting on someone else, and they'll still see what they want to see and that is the creation of drama and that is clickbait," she persevered.
A representative for Pine also denied the spitting happened in a observation to TODAY.
"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. 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."
1 Don't Worry Darling Earned Mostly Terrible Reviews
The film garnered blended evaluations, earning a 38% rotten critic score on review aggregator website online Rotten Tomatoes. The audience ranking is these days at a 74%.
Some critics have mentioned the terrible press tour of their critiques, highlighting the film's qualities however slamming its unoriginality.
"All the drama seems to have happened off camera for director Olivia Wilde and stars Harry Styles and Florence Pugh. What's on screen is a glossy, repetitive retread of The Stepford Wives with a dash of The Truman Show and no discernible personality," ABC News' Peter Travers wrote in his review.
"A movie that's not a disaster, but not particularly distinguished; a movie that, in the end, will wind up being as forgettable as its own bizarre publicity," wrote Ann Hornaday in her evaluation for the Washington Post.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiuoZmkYra0edOhnGacn6PBbsPOq6myZZSWv621zaBknaqRoq5w