Are Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh feuding? | Explainer

Hollywood It girl Florence Pugh and former boybander (but consistent heartthrob) Harry Styles may star as on-screen lovers in the upcoming film Don’t Worry Darling, but it’s director Olivia Wilde that has captured the heart of the singer off-screen – and that’s reportedly one factor causing some tension, if you give weight to rumours.

All eyes were on Pugh, 26, Styles, 28, and Wilde, 38, at the film’s world premiere at the Venice Film Festival overnight to see if the rumbles of a rift that have been rippling for months are, in fact, true.

The press conference (which Pugh skipped), red carpet (which Pugh attended with her grandmother) and premiere (which ended with a four-minute standing ovation, during which Pugh appeared to not look at Wilde once despite Wilde glancing at her several times) definitely did not disappoint.

So what is, exactly, going on, and why is the pair’s behaviour at the Venice Film Festival such a big deal? Here’s everything you need to know about Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh’s alleged feud.

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Are Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh feuding?

Well… things between the pair are not looking good.

For months, infamous celebrity gossip account DeuxMoi has been sharing blind items from followers hinting at a feud, which have been speculated to be about Wilde, Pugh, Styles and the production of Don’t Worry Darling. No ‘reputable’ source, however, commented on the alleged feud until late July 2022, which only widened the floodgates.

“I can tell you for a fact that [Pugh] seeing Olivia and Harry all over each other on set did not go down well as Olivia was still with Jason [Sudeikis] when she first hooked up with Harry,” a source alleged to Page Six.

The publication highlights Wilde’s split from Ted Lasso star and former fiancé Jason Sudeikis as the supposed origin of the alleged feud, and the fact the timeline between Wilde’s split from the Saturday Night Live alum and father of her two children – eight-year-old Otis and five-year-old Daisy – and the start of her relationship with the One Direction alum is a bit… murky.

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In November 2020, Sudeikis and Wilde announced the end of their nine-year relationship, with sources saying at the time that Wilde’s relationship with Styles was the main reason for the breakup, and that the couple had allegedly been having an affair for a month. Wilde, however, told Vogue in December 2021 affair murmurings were a “false narrative.” Styles and Wilde’s relationship started making headlines in January 2021.

The insider told Page Six in late July 2022 that at the beginning of Don’t Worry Darling‘s production – the movie started filming in October 2020, paused for two weeks due to COVID-19 in November, and ended in February 2021 – Sudeikis would visit the set with his and Wilde’s children, which made for an uncomfortable environment due to the alleged affair between Styles, who is the film’s leading man, and Wilde, who directed the film and also starred in it.

More (unverified) blind items submitted to DeuxMoi allege Wilde favoured the ‘Watermelon Sugar’ singer on the set of Don’t Worry Darling, and was so distracted by her soon-to-be-boyfriend that Pugh – who plays Alice Chambers in the film, Styles’ on-screen wife – had to step in and take over directing, but none of these have been officially confirmed or commented on.

Internet sleuths, however, really started thinking something was up in mid-July 2022, when a new trailer for Don’t Worry Darling was released – and Pugh’s silence was deafening.

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What has Olivia Wilde said about Florence Pugh?

Wilde has been (officially) very vocal with praise for Pugh, and on July 22, when a new trailer for Don’t Worry Darling dropped, she shared a post to Instagram of herself watching Pugh act on set, writing, “Watching this woman work was such a f—ing thrill! Cannot wait to show you more.”

That post was written after Wilde shared a still of Pugh from the movie earlier that day as well as the new trailer. Pugh hasn’t acknowledged any of them – not with a like, comment or re-share.

It is worthwhile to note, however, that Wilde’s Instagram posts often have comments limited or turned off.

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Leaked video seemingly unravels ‘lie’ Olivia Wilde told about Shia LaBeouf

Wilde’s official social media and interviews are filled with nothing but praise for Pugh – but a leaked video she reportedly privately sent to actor Shia LaBeouf appears to show she may think something different behind-the-scenes.

For context, LaBeouf was originally cast in Styles’ role as Jack opposite Pugh, however, in 2020, it emerged he had dropped out of the production. A few months later, Wilde gave an interview where she somewhat implied he was fired due to her “strict no assholes policy” on set.

Then, in an August 24 cover story with Variety, Wilde opened up for the first time about LaBeouf’s departure from Don’t Worry Darling, further implying he had been fired. Three days later, he hit back at those claims, leaking videos, emails and screenshots to Variety in an effort to prove he quit the film.

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He sent a copy of an email to Variety he claimed to have sent to Wilde the previous week, where he wrote, “Firing me never took place, Olivia. And while I fully understand the attractiveness of pushing that story because of the current social landscape, the social currency that brings. It is not the truth. So I am humbly asking, as a person with an eye toward making things right, that you correct the narrative as best you can.”

But, you might ask, what has this got to do with Florence Pugh? Well, LaBeouf sent Variety a video he claims Wilde sent him two days after he allegedly quit the film, and, in the video, Wilde is driving a car and says she is “not ready to give up on this yet” and also alludes to tension between LaBeouf and Pugh.

“I feel like I’m not ready to give up on this yet, and I, too, am heartbroken and I want to figure this out,” she says in the video. “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. 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?”

Needless to say, fans were not happy with the “Miss Flo” business – and Pugh’s stylist Rebecca Corbin-Murray even seemingly poked fun at the situation on Instagram, when she shared images of Pugh’s red carpet look at the Venice Film Festival with the caption, “Miss Flo.”

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What has Florence Pugh said about Olivia Wilde?

Pugh has not commented on the situation with LaBeouf, but some of her silences speak louder than others.

When Pugh was cast in the movie, she was full of praise for Wilde, writing on Instagram in April 2020 alongside the casting announcement: “[Olivia Wilde] just tagged me in a picture *gasp no.1* [Olivia Wilde] casted me in a film *gasp no.2* [Olivia Wilde] is my idol and allowed me to be a part of this fecking incredible cast. Shia?!? Chris [Pine]?!? *gasp no.3* I can’t wait to join this project when all of this is over. Until then, masks up. Gloves on. Stay home. Read script 17,000 because.. you know.. it’s [Olivia Wilde]!! #DontWorryDarling.”

When Styles was announced as LaBeouf’s replacement in September 2020, Pugh also wrote on Instagram: “Hells yeah. So so excited to have you on board!!”

Since then? Crickets. In fact, when Pugh was asked about the movie at an event in June 2022, she praised the cinematographer, the stylists and Styles rather than Wilde. And Pugh’s fans have definitely noticed.

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“It was a joy to walk into the hair and makeup trailer every day,” the actress said of the film’s styling team, and said of the cinematography a highlight was “the way that everything looks delicious and golden.”

Pugh also said Styles Fine Line artist was “a total professional and it was a great experience working together.”

The actress is known for vigorously celebrating all the projects she’s involved in on her social media pages, and on the same day in July that Wilde made both her posts about Pugh and the new Don’t Worry Darling trailer was released, Pugh opted to share a teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan’s war drama Oppenheimer instead, in which she plays Jean Tatlock.

The Little Women star and Oscar nominee’s initial excitement over the project and subsequent silence has been the topic of hot debate on social media, with one person writing on Twitter: “The way Florence Pugh has yet to post about don’t worry darling even though there are two trailers out for it and yet she’ll post about every single other project that she’s doing right now like what did Olivia Wilde do ????”

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Another person tweeted: “i think it’s so funny how florence pugh had said NOTHING about don’t worry darling and olivia wilde keeps trying to hype her up.”

“I need to know what Olivia Wilde did to my baby Florence Pugh on the set of DWD because my girl has been SILENT on movie updates,” a third person wrote.

Page Six‘s source, however, said of Pugh’s silence: “I heard she was already scheduled to post [about ‘Oppenheimer’] that day for some specific reason, it had nothing to do with a response to Olivia.”

Fans have also speculated Pugh’s former relationship with Zach Braff, 47, has something to do with the alleged feud – Braff and Sudeikis are friends, and when Sudeikis’ show Ted Lasso was nominated for several Emmys last year (and at the ceremony it absolutely cleaned up), she publicly congratulated him and wished him luck, and did the same thing when he won the Best Actor Golden Globe for his role as Ted Lasso.

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Florence Pugh’s limited Don’t Worry Darling press confirmed

Neither Wilde, Styles nor Pugh have publicly commented on the alleged feud – and fans were eagerly awaiting to see how the trio behaved around each other on the press tour for Don’t Worry Darling, which began in late August with Wilde’s interviews and was set to officially kick off with Styles and Pugh at the Venice Film Festival.

The film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, however, didn’t seem to be actually kicking off anything – for Pugh at least, the festival appearance was said to be her one and only for Don’t Worry Darling.

As Wilde’s video leaked in late August, TheWrap also published a report alleging Pugh’s appearance at the red carpet and press conference will be the only traditional press she’s doing for the film, a move that is unusual considering she’s the lead actor.

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Variety confirmed these reports on Monday morning (Australia time), adding Pugh would not be attending the press conference, which she didn’t. This means Don’t Worry Darling‘s lead star did not speak about the film at its own worldwide premiere.

It is important to highlight, however, that Pugh is currently filming Dune 2 in Budapest, and travelled to Venice on Monday (overnight in Australia) directly from a night shoot, before she reportedly swiftly returned to set. This is what has been cited as a factor in her limited press for Don’t Worry Darling and the fact she wasn’t at the press conference, as the press conference was on Monday morning (Venice time), a few hours before the red carpet and premiere. Pugh’s private flight to Italy from Hungary, however, arrived in the middle of the press conference.

A myriad of awkward moments at the Venice Film Festival

Overnight, Don’t Worry Darling‘s cast – sans Pugh – spoke at a press conference about the film. With Pugh, they walked the red carpet, and attended a premiere of the film.

It was, to say the least, illuminating. At the press conference, Wilde artfully dodged a question from a reporter who asked if there was any truth to the feud rumours, saying: “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 the endless tabloid gossip out there, the Internet feeds itself. I don’t feel the need to contribute; I think it’s sufficiently self-nourished.”

Another journalist attempted to ask about LaBeouf’s allegations he wasn’t fired from the film, but the Venice Film Festival moderator stepped in, effectively blocking the question by claiming it had already been answered by Wilde in the question about Pugh.

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On the red carpet, while Pugh and Wilde posed together with other cast members Chris Pine, Nick Kroll and Gemma Chan, as well as Styles, they definitely kept their distance, often separated by Pine, who, as one Twitter user pointed out, spent the red carpet “hyping up” Pugh. Pugh also spent a majority of the red carpet with her grandmother, Pat.

Per Variety, Pugh and Wilde’s noticeable distance from each other, despite being at the same event and being the director and lead actor for Don’t Worry Darling, made it appear “almost as if they weren’t even in the same film together.”

Following the film’s premiere at the festival, the audience erupted into cheers, and the cast and crew got a four-minute standing ovation. During the standing ovation, Pugh, who was teary-eyed and sitting several seats away from Wilde in the same row, appeared to turn completely away from Wilde (who did seem to glance Pugh’s way once or twice), facing and dancing with co-star Kroll instead.

Pugh actually walked out about three minutes into the standing ovation, prompting the rest of the cast to follow. Styles and Kroll also reportedly kissed on the lips during the standing ovation.

Watch the video above.

A timeline of alleged behind-the-scenes Don’t Worry Darling events that have me very worried

• August 2019: Don’t Worry Darling announced.
• April 2020: Pugh announces she’s been cast as the lead. Wilde was originally meant to play Pugh’s role as Alice and vice versa, but they swapped roles when Wilde, who is also the director, decided she wanted a younger couple to centre the film.
• August 16, 2020, as alleged by LaBeouf: Wilde and LaBeouf meet in person in Los Angeles to discuss his exit from the film.
• August 17, 2020, as alleged by LaBeouf: LaBeouf “officially” quits Don’t Worry Darling.
• August 19, 2020, as alleged by LaBeouf: Wilde sends LaBeouf a video where she asks if they can “figure this out” and alludes to tension between Pugh and LaBeouf.
• September 2020: Styles is announced as LaBeouf’s replacement.
• October 2020: Principle photography begins.
• November 4, 2020: Filming halts for two weeks due to COVID-19 outbreak on set, with Pugh, Styles and Pine quarantined.
• November 2020: Wilde and Sudeikis announce the end of their nine-year relationship.
• January 2021: Wilde and Styles’ relationship seemingly becomes official.
• February 4, 2021: Wilde tells Variety she has a “strict no a–holes policy” on set, implying LaBeouf was fired per this policy.
• February 13, 2021: Filming for Don’t Worry Darling wraps.
• December 2021: Wilde denies rumours she had an affair with Styles.
• April 2022: Wilde’s presentation about Don’t Worry Darling at CinemaCon is interrupted when she’s “ambushed” with custody papers from Sudeikis.
• July 22, 2022: New trailer for Don’t Worry Darling drops, absolute silence from Pugh though she promotes Oppenheimer, while Wilde in comparison shouts Pugh’s praises.
• August 24, 2022: Wilde’s cover story with Variety comes out, where she opens up about LaBeouf’s alleged firing from the film for the first time.
• August 26, 2022: TheWrap reports Pugh’s press appearances for Don’t Worry Darling will be nothing outside of the Venice Film Festival.
• August 27, 2022: Variety publishes leaked emails and text messages sent in by LaBeouf, with the purpose of disputing the claim he was fired. This same day, the video allegedly sent by Wilde to LaBeouf emerges online, though it is not included in Variety‘s article.
• September 5, 2022: The cast of Don’t Worry Darling descends upon the Venice Film Festival, where Pugh skips the press conference during which Wilde dodges a question about her and is prevented from addressing LaBeouf’s allegations. Wilde and Pugh keep their distance at the red carpet and premiere.

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Regardless of whether the feud is true or not, the production has been messy – in addition to LaBeouf’s reported firing and production shutting down due to COVID-19, the film made headlines in April this year when Wilde was served custody papers by Sudeikis while she was making a speech promoting the film on stage, for which Sudeikis has since apologised.

There’s also been speculation about a significant pay disparity between Pugh and Styles – with the singer alleged to have been paid significantly more than his co-star – despite the fact Pugh is the lead star and Styles, although he is the film’s leading man, for all intents and purposes, is a side character compared to Pugh’s storyline. Wilde previously told Variety Don’t Worry Darling is “[Pugh’s] film.”

Wilde, however, in that same August Variety interview where she also implied LaBeouf had been fired, disputed the pay disparity rumours, and also spoke heavily about the importance of showing women orgasming on-screen (in reference to a scene in the trailer where Styles performs oral sex on Pugh) – something Pugh’s press narrative has actually deviated from.

In a recent Harper’s Bazaar profile – the only piece of media in which Pugh has officially spoken about the film recently – Pugh said: “When [the film is] 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.”

Pugh is currently shooting Dune 2, and promotion for Don’t Worry Darling is currently underway. Styles, meanwhile, is in the midst of his North America tour with his show Love On Tour, and Wilde has been spotted at many of his concerts – though the duo arrived in Venice on Sunday local time for the festival.

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