Olivia Wilde Decries “The Media And How It Pits Women Against One Another”
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Much has been made in the past six months about the turmoil — whether real or imagined — on the set of director Olivia Wilde’s buzzy Don’t Worry Darling. There was the scuttlebutt around her relationship with co-star Harry Styles. There was the departure of original lead Shia LaBeouf. And then there were rumors of friction between the director-actress and the film’s star, Florence Pugh. Those included a Vulture report about on-set “screaming match” between the two women, which was quickly denied in a statement signed by 40 members of the film’s crew and production team.
Wilde told Elle in an interview for the cover of the magazine this month that the media feeding frenzy has “brought my attention to the media and how it pits women against one another.”
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The director continued, “It is shocking to see so many untruths about yourself traded as fact. Florence had a really wise comment that we didn’t sign up for a reality show. And I love that she put it that way, because it’s as though the general public feels that if you are making something that you’re selling to the public, you somehow have accepted that your life will be torn to shreds by a pack of wolves. No, that’s actually not part of the job description. Never was.”
She continued, “This film is trying to ask big questions, but [it’s] ‘Let’s just focus on this sideshow over here.’ “
Wilde herself may have contributed to the sideshow, however, when she told Variety in August about LaBeouf’s departure, “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.”
The publication characterized it thusly: “Wilde made the decision to fire LaBeouf.” Shia did not agree. He sent Variety what he said were text messages between himself and the director as well as a video in which she seemed to address on-set conflict and use a nickname for Pugh.
“You know, I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re open to giving this a shot with me, with us,” Wilde said in the video. “If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace — and I respect your point of view, I respect hers — but if you guys can do it, what do you think? Is there hope? Will you let me know?”
Wilde later told Stephen Colbert that it is possible she and LaBeouf both felt like they were the one to call it quits. She also said that the messages released by LaBeouf came out of context and were meant “to make the situation seem like something it wasn’t.”
Asked directly by Colbert whether she fired LeBeouf, Wilde responded, “We had to replace Shia.”
Wilde then went on to say that the actor forced her hand.
“When he gave me the ultimatum of him or Florence, I chose Florence,” said Wilde.
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