Olivia Wilde is not commenting on alleged tensions between her and Florence Pugh, the lead of her film Don’t Worry Darling.
When requested at a Venice press convention whether or not Wilde can “clear the air” about the rumours surrounding their strained relationship, the director mentioned: “Florence is a force. We are so grateful she’s able to make it tonight [for the red carpet]. I’m grateful to her, and to [Dune director Denis Villeneuve] for helping us. I can’t say how honoured I am to have her as our lead.
“As for all of the limitless tabloid gossip on the market, the Internet feeds itself. I do not really feel the necessity to contribute; I feel it is sufficiently self-nourished,” mentioned Wilde.
Watch the video above.
It emerged on Sunday when the competition launched its confirmed attendees listing that Pugh wouldn’t be on the press convention.
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The competition mentioned that the actor’s flight to Venice from Budapest, Hungary — the place she is presently on the set of the Dune sequel — was arriving solely after the press convention, giving her time to stroll the purple carpet, however to not converse to media.
When another journalist then tried to ask about Shia LaBeouf’s allegations that he wasn’t fired from the movie, as Wilde suggested in an explosive cover story with Variety, the press conference moderator – who is a senior programmer for the festival – effectively blocked the question, claiming it had already been answered by Wilde as part of the previous question on Pugh, and quickly moved on.
Wilde was joined at the Monday afternoon press conference by her cast members Harry Styles, Gemma Chan and Chris Pine.
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Don’t Worry Darling is Wilde’s second movie following on from her directorial debut, Booksmart.
The thriller is centred on Jack (Harry Styles) and Alice (Pugh), whose seemingly happy marriage in a heightened version of 1960s suburbia becomes increasingly strained when Alice starts having frightening visions.
When the project was first announced in 2019, it sparked a heated bidding war, with 18 studios and streaming services fighting to land the pitch. New Line Cinema ultimately won the auction.
The movie, which has its world premiere in Venice on Monday evening but screened for press in the morning, rests on a gripping performance from Pugh, whose descent into madness as Alice anchors the movie — a fact that further highlights her absence from the press conference.
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The on-set politics of the Don’t Worry Darling production have come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks following Wilde’s cover story interview with Variety.
The director suggested that she had fired actor Shia LaBeouf from the set due to his “combative vitality.” LaBeouf later asserted that he chose to leave the production because he didn’t feel the actors were given adequate time to rehearse. In a video of Wilde shared by LaBeouf, the director also alluded to tensions between LaBeouf and Pugh.
A strained relationship between Wilde and Pugh has been the subject of rumours for a few months now.
While the industry baselessly pitting women against one another is hardly new, Pugh’s unorthodox absence from the press conference suggests there may have been some sort of issue at play.
The move is especially conspicuous given Timothée Chalamet, the main lead of the Dune franchise, came to Venice to promote his Warner Bros. movie Bones and All and speak to media despite being on the same production as Pugh.
Wilde attended a Variety party on Sunday night celebrating her August cover story. Other attendees of the party included Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chairpersons Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, as well as New Line’s president of production Richard Brenner.
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