Despite the interesting plot and starstudded cast, Don’t Worry Darling has become famous for another reason, that is backstage drama. Directed by Olivia Wilde, the film stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, and Chris Pine.
The news related to on-set conflicts started with the departure of Shia LaBeouf, as the director asserted that she fired him while the actor argued he left on his own accord. Olivia Wilde had stated the actor had a very combative manner of working which was unsuitable for her filmmaking process.
Olivia Wilde’s feud with Florence Pugh
But the clash between Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh has been regarded as the most problematic part of the movie’s production. One major disagreement between the two was how the movie was promoted as Florence Pugh found the director’s promotion of the movie degrading.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Florence Pugh took a dig at Olivia Wilde for focusing too much on the movie’s s*x scenes during the promotion, as she wanted the movie to be about the plot and performance. He found the discussion demeaning and she stated :
“When it’s reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it’s not why we do it. It’s not why I’m in this industry…”
Their feud became even worse when the actor indicated she won’t be attending the movie’s premiere as she was working on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune 2.
Florence Pugh over Olivia Wilde?
Despite all the rage, the movie has failed in the eyes of the critics, receiving a measly 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. As tweeted by Matt Ramos, the audience cheered whenever the actor was on screen but became dead silent for Olivia Wilde.
This man is playing an abuser and you wonder why Florence Pugh distanced herself from the film as soon as the first trailer advertised the movie as a sex thriller when her character is being held against her will. Fuck Olivia Wilde for the way she’s marketed this film. https://t.co/qgwkPGyon7
— sharlea is SEEING TAYLOR SWIFT (@perrieslavender) September 18, 2022
Olivia Wilde made a recycling of several films of the same theme and put it in her film, but with her own identity, but without news. Florence Pugh has the best performance of the cast, she simply carried the film on her back.
3/5
— Max-El (@MaxxVerissimo2) September 13, 2022
This don’t worry darling trailer ended with the line “I don’t want to be here anymore” and most people don’t know that wasn’t in the script it was just Florence Pugh talking to Olivia Wilde on set
— *sad pirate noises* 🍊 🏴☠️ 🌈 smau pinned (@Ashewithane_) September 11, 2022
Similar to the tweet, many reviewers also believe Florence Pugh to be the best part of the film, calling her a powerhouse and showstopper. Many fans have also praised the actor for her performance, noting her to be the saving grace.
haven’t tweeted in forever but I literally can’t hold in how sick I am of seeing olivia wilde drama every time I’m online… I don’t even care to see this ‘don’t worry darling’ film even though I love florence pugh cos it’s all just so ANNOYING
— tash (@natashaserena) September 20, 2022
best thing Olivia Wilde did for that movie was cast Florence Pugh
— sofiA24 (@prmryclrdvgn) September 20, 2022
The film was berated for being a muddled rehash of overly familiar themes, as even at the Venice premiere, Kate Erbland of IndieWire praised the performance of Florence Pugh but found many errors in the screenplay.
Source: Twitter