There’s been a ton of conversation surrounding Olivia Wilde’s upcoming psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling and her alleged feud with the film's star Florence Pugh. This partly became because of the steamy sex scenes that will be shared between stars Florence Pugh and Harry Styles. But there’s also been a ton of chatter about Shia LaBeouf, who was originally going to play the leading male role eventually filmed by Styles. And while Wilde claimed LaBeouf was the problem on Don’t Worry Darling, it turns out she tried to work with him a second time after that.
Anticipation for Don’t Worry Darling has been steadily growing, largely thanks to the cast featuring pop star/actor Harry Styles. But Shia LaBeouf was actually the first actor attached to play the role of Jack. Wilde claimed she fired the Transformers actor, leading him to respond online and for things to quickly go viral. Although it turns out that despite the on-set drama, she actually tried to direct him in a music video shortly thereafter. Let’s break down what we know thanks to a report by THR.
HOW OLIVIA WILDE AND SHIA LABEOUF ALMOST WORKED TOGETHER AFTER DON'T WORRY DARLING BROUHAHA
Shia LaBeouf was originally set to star opposite Florence Pugh in Don’t Worry Darling. Eventually, he departed the role, with both he and Wilde providing conflicting stories about exactly what went down. But however his departure did go down, the two actually started collaborating on another project: a music video for singer/actress Rainey Qualley. The music video starred LaBeouf and Maid actress Margaret Qualley, with Olivia Wilde reportedly attached to direct as a favor to the sisters. But ultimately this didn’t exactly shake out as planned.
While Olivia Wilde filmed the footage for the “Love Me Like You Hate Me” video, she reportedly wasn’t able to actually complete her job. Namely, because Shia LaBeouf worked on his own cut, and submitted it before Wilde had done the same. Apparently, the two clashed via e-mail over this, before Wilde departed the project altogether. Combine this story with the Don’t Worry Darling recasting, and suddenly their feud makes all the more sense.
WHAT OLIVIA WILDE ORIGINALLY SAID ABOUT SHIA LABEOUF'S DON'T WORRY DARLING DEPARTURE
During original press for Don’t Worry Darling, Olivia Wilde implied she fired Shia LaBeouf from the upcoming project, and that he might have been the issue on set. During a previous interview with Variety, the director/actress spoke about this turn of events, saying:
I say this as someone who is such an admirer of his work. 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.
But Shia LaBeouf has seemingly taken umbrage with this insinuation, and has defended himself and told a conflicting story about what went down. The Honey Boy writer claimed that she left the movie because he couldn’t rehearse with the cast before filming. What’s more, video footage leaked of Wilde asking him to return to the set, and seemingly casting judgment on Florence Pugh. And as such, the entire situation has gotten dizzying. And that’s not even considering Wilde being served with custody papers during her CinemaCon presentation of the movie.
Don’t Worry Darling will hit theaters on September 23rd. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
