The crew of Don’t Worry Darling (40 people) put to rest rumors about the drama happening between director Olivia Wilde and actress Florence Pugh on the set of the psychological thriller.
Rumors that Wilde and Miss Flo were in a “screaming match” on set have been reported by Vulture, but are said to be “complete false” by the crew members, including writer and producer Katie Silberman, showrunner Miri Yoon, costume designer Arianne Phillips, and director of photography Matthew Libatique.
“As a crew, we’ve avoided addressing the absurd gossip surrounding the movie we’re so proud of, but feel the need to correct the anonymous ‘source’ quoted in a recent article,” Silberman and co. told PEOPLE.
“Any allegations about unprofessional behavior on the set of Don’t Worry Darling are completely false.”
Wilde, “an incredible leader and director who was present with and involved in every aspect of production,” per the crew, “ran this set with class and respect for everyone involved.”
The statement added: “There was never a screaming match between our director and anyone, let alone a member of our cast.”
“We are happy to put our names on this, as real people who worked on the film and who have witnessed and benefited from the collaborative and safe space Olivia creates as a director and leader,” the crew members said. “We’re also thrilled that the movie is in theaters this weekend.”
The statement came after Vulture reported a “blowout argument” between Wilde and Pugh in January 2021, rooted in Pugh’s supposed frustration with Wilde’s “frequent, unexplained absences” from set.
The filmmaker and Harry Styles, who are romantically linked, “would just disappear,” a source who allegedly spent “significant time on set,” told the publication.
Ahead of the film’s release last Friday, Wilde made a guest appearance on Wednesday’s The Kelly Clarkson Show to address rumors of set drama, describing the situation as “soap opera.”
Per Wilde, “I mean, am I envious of my male colleagues in the way that they seem to be able to live their lives without as much judgment? Yeah, I think about it. I’m like, ‘That must be nice to be that guy. Everybody’s just, like, applauding just every move he makes.”
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Don’t Worry Darling Debuts at No. 1
But this ongoing drama did not stop Don’t Worry Darling from topping the box office this weekend.
The film featuring Pugh and Styles launched this weekend and opened at No. 1 with $19.2 million in 4,113 theaters in North America, according to Comscore. Adding its international earnings of $10.8 million, the movie accumulated a global total of $30 million.
Pugh stars in the movie as Alice, a housewife in the 1950s living with her husband Jack (Styles) in a community called Victory.
Experiences with fellow housewife Margaret (Kiki Layne) slowly pierced through the secret veil, with Alice starting to worry that her husband’s fantastic company is hiding dark secrets.
The thriller also features Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, Nick Kroll, Wilde, Sydney Chandler, and Timothy Simons. Kroll – who plays Dean, Jack’s work colleague and neighbor and husband of Wilde’s character, Bunny – talked to EW about the environment on set, unveiling that a specific scene with Styles was out of the script.
The two made a quick peck on the lips in the first scene of the film – a scene they also remade on the red carpet at the movie’s world premiere during the Venice Film Festival.
“We just went for it,” Kroll stated. “I was not like, ‘Hey, in this next take, let’s kiss.’ It was spur of the moment. As it was, frankly, in Venice as well.”
Kroll joked, “But I definitely think my stock went up with my nieces and nephews. And every teenage girl and boy around the world.”
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Photo: Amomama
