Olivia Had This To Say About Florence’s Don’t Worry Darling Promo

Olivia Wilde’s headline-making Don’t Worry Darling press tour continues on, and this time she addressed the online theories that her lead actor in the film, Florence Pugh, is intentionally under-promoting the film on social media.

However, Wilde negated any ill-will toward Pugh’s social media habits in Vanity Fair’s October 2022 cover story, which was published on Sept. 8.

“Florence is one of the most in-demand actresses in the universe. She’s on set on Dune. I gather that some people expect for her to be engaging more on social media. I didn’t hire her to post,” Wilde told the publication. “I hired her to act. She fulfilled every single expectation I had of her. That’s all that matters to me.”

The theory began in July after the Don’t Worry Darling trailer dropped and Pugh reportedly didn’t say anything about the movie on social media. This was followed by Pugh’s absence from the film’s press conference at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 5. Pugh was reportedly absent due to scheduling conflicts while filming the sequel to Dune.

Although Pugh attended the film’s red carpet and screening later that night, Variety’s co-Editor-in-Chief Ramin Setoodeh posted a video of the cast after the screening, including Wilde and Pugh, and alleged there was tension in the air between the director and actor.

In her Vanity Fair interview, Wilde also addressed the rumors of drama between Pugh and Shia LaBeouf, who was originally cast as the male lead in the film before Harry Styles took over the role.

Vanity Fair reported Pugh felt “uncomfortable” working with LaBeouf due to his behavior. Calling LaBeouf’s approach to work as “an intensity that can be combative” and not aligned with the “ethos” she demands, Wilde said she resolved the “tricky” situation. “My responsibility was towards her,” Wilde said of Pugh. “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.”

Wilde then wished LaBeouf well. “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,” Wilde told Vanity Fair.

LaBeouf previously denied Wilde’s claims that he was fired. Variety reported the actor sent them a series of messages between him and Wilde that reportedly discussed his exit from the film, following her Aug. 24 cover story for the magazine.

“You and I both know the reasons for my exit,” LaBeouf reportedly wrote in an email to Wilde. “I quit your film because your actors and I couldn’t find time to rehearse.”

Wilde also alluded to these messages in her Vanity Fair interview. “This issue is so much more nuanced than can be explained in private texts released out of context. All I’ll say is he was replaced, and there was no going forward with him. I wish him the best in his recovery,” she said.

Variety also published the full email response they received from LaBeouf, in which he reportedly noted he had “27 days of sobriety and a moral compass.”