Another bombshell interview with Don’t Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde has dropped, this time via Vanity Fair.
Although the core interview took place before the Venice Film Festival, the reporter reached out to Wilde for additional comments afterwards. I mean, how could you not?
Here’s all the spicy intel that was brought up in the interview.
What happened at the Venice Film Festival
In an email convo, Olivia Wilde discussed the brutal events of the Don’t Worry Darling world premiere but she tiptoed around the brutal part.
“Venice was a whirlwind—from the minute I got into the first boat and was zooming through the canals, to the first glance of the Grand Canal and St. Mark’s Basilica to seeing the billboard for Don’t Worry Darling towering over the Lido—it was a fantasy coming true,” she said.
“To stand together with our cast, and finally show the film to an audience of film lovers, was so moving! Watching Arianne [Phillips] win her Passion for Film award was incredibly emotional. I felt so proud of her, of Katie Byron our production designer, who was there with us, as well as Matty Libatique, our genius DP. This film family went through a lot together, and it was extremely meaningful to celebrate together that night.”
The piece noted that “a source tells me that, privately, Wilde was crushed by what went on at the festival, but, as with the unpleasant surprise at CinemaCon, she had a job to do and she got through it.”
She addressed Florence Pugh feud rumours
“It is very rare that people assume the best from women in power,” she said.
“I think they don’t often give us the benefit of the doubt. Florence did the job I hired her to do, and she did it exquisitely. She blew me away. Every day I was in awe of her, and we worked very well together.”
She also discussed the insinuation that Pugh must be against the film since she hadn’t posted about it at all on her social media before this week.
“Florence is one of the most in-demand actresses in the universe. She’s on set on Dune,” she said.
“I gather that some people expect for her to be engaging more on social media. I didn’t hire her to post. I hired her to act. She fulfilled every single expectation I had of her. That’s all that matters to me.”
The journalist makes a point of noting that the piece had been updated following the events of the Venice Film Festival.
“Even after the tension in Venice, Wilde stands by her star and her team: ‘Florence’s performance in this film is astounding. It’s just baffling to me that the media would rather focus on baseless rumours and gossip, thereby overshadowing her profound talent. She deserves more than that. As does the movie, and everyone who worked so hard on it’.”
Olivia Wilde with the Don’t Worry Darling cast. (Credit: Getty)
She addressed why Shia LeBouf was fired
The piece specifically pointed out that Wilde was interviewed before Shia LeBouf leaked the video that proved he was not fired and in fact left the production.
In this interview, much like the Variety interview, Wilde maintained that LeBouf was fired in order to protect the other cast members.
“My responsibility was towards her. I’m like a mother wolf. Making the call was tricky, but in a way he understood. I don’t think it would’ve been a process he enjoyed. He comes at his work with an intensity that can be combative. It wasn’t the ethos that I demand in my productions,” she said.
“I want him to get well and to evolve because I think it’s a great loss to the film industry when someone that talented is unable to work.”
She said she was always keen on casting Harry Styles
Wilde went on to discuss her decision to cast Harry Styles in the role that LeBouf had left vacant.
“My thing with Harry was that I knew he was fearless,” she said.
“I’d rather work with a non-actor who’s fearless than a trained actor who is full of hang-ups and baggage and judgment. What I love about working with singers and dancers is they commit 100 percent because, as a dancer, if you don’t commit 100 percent, you get hurt. With singers, it’s the same. If they sing at 30 percent, that song doesn’t work. I think actors sometimes think they can get away with 30 percent.”
She then described Styles’ passion and commitment to the role, recounting how he’d send her songs as suggestions for the soundtrack.
She predicted that “he will absolutely end up scoring films for fun.”
She discussed rumours that she left Jason Sudekis for Harry Styles
Following her bitter split from actor Jason Sudekis, rumours began to circulate that she had been having an affair with freshly cast Don’t Worry Darling star Harry Styles.
Wilde vehemently denied these rumours.
“The complete horseshit idea that I left Jason for Harry is completely inaccurate,” she told Vanity Fair.
“Our relationship was over long before I met Harry. Like any relationship that ends, it doesn’t end overnight. Unfortunately, Jason and I had a very bumpy road, and we officially dissolved the relationship towards the beginning of the pandemic.”
She added, “I don’t understand the need to create false narratives and drama around this kind of stuff. It’s like, haven’t the kids been through enough?”
And finally, Wilde dismissed the notion that she had the time to be embroiled in any sort of scandal on set.
“The idea that I had five seconds in the day to be distracted by anything is laughable,” she said.
“I was there before everyone. I was there after everyone. And it was a dream. It’s not like this work was not enjoyable. It was just all-encompassing.”
Have a read of the full interview over on Vanity Fair.
Don’t Worry Darling starring Florence and Pugh and Harry Styles and directed by Olivia Wilde will hit cinemas on October 6.
