Don't Worry Darling: Florence Pugh Shares BTS Photos After Reports of On-Set Strife With Olivia Wilde
Florence Pugh has taken to social media to celebrate the theatrical release of Don't Worry Darling, amid reports of an offscreen feud between her and the film's director and co-star, Olivia Wilde. In two posts to Pugh's Instagram on Friday night, the actress said that the film is "here... and ready to be seen," and highlighted many of the cast and crew members through various behind-the-scenes photos. Included in one of the posts was a photo of Pugh and Wilde, who — according to a report from Vulture — got into an intense "screaming match" while on the film's set.
"We met so many talented people, visited some insane locations, worked hard in the desert dust and looked good whilst doing so. (Thanks to @hebathormakeup and @jaimeleigh.hair and @ariannephillips)," Pugh's caption reads in part. "Thank you to all those who have bought tickets and those who have already seen it – whenever I watch massive impressive movie moments on massive screens I always remind myself that there is a boom just inches from the frame I'm watching. Or marks on the floor just below the actors waists. It's crazy to think that each set up and scene takes a large portion of a day to execute, and on this one.. there was a lot to execute! Explosions, car chases, cocktail balancing, underwater sequences, running, drinking, more running.. This film was such an epic story on such a large scale to shoot, all while during peak Covid times. For that I will always be grateful. To all of you who helped make this, your dedication and love was seen daily – thank you."
Don't Worry Darling, which features an ensemble cast led by Pugh and Harry Styles, has been at the center of a lot of Internet fervor in recent weeks, between the circumstances of Shia Labeouf's original exit from the film, to the conversation surrounding the film's sex scenes, to speculation that Pugh and Wilde are feuding. Those latter rumors were fueled by the announcement that Pugh would not be doing press for the film outside of the Venice premiere, an event that also became infamous in its own right for "SpitGate", the theory that Styles spat on co-star Chris Pine during the premiere.
"Florence is a force and we are so grateful that she is able to make it tonight despite being in production on Dune," Wilde shared when asked by a journalist to "clear the air" about the rumors. "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 [Dune director] Denis Villeneuve for helping us -- we're really thrilled we'll get to celebrate her work tonight."
Don't Worry Darling is now playing exclusively in theaters.