Olivia Wilde addresses actress Florence Pugh’s absence from Don’t Worry Darling press. Pugh, who stars opposite Harry Styles in the Wilde-directed Don’t Worry Darling, has recently been reported not to be attending any of the press for Don’t Worry Darling beyond its premiere. Pugh is currently working a busy schedule as she shoots her scenes for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune 2.
Many people, however, have chalked Pugh’s absence up to potential drama between Pugh and Wilde. Ever since the trailer for Don’t Worry Darling was released and more publicity came out about the film, rumors soon swirled about drama between Pugh and Wilde. Pugh has criticized the marketing for Don’t Worry Darling, saying that it over-sexualizes its female protagonists. Wilde has negated this, saying that those scenes are crucial to the film and that those sex scenes focus on female pleasure. To make matters worse, news also broke that Pugh was paid $700,000 for her role, whereas Styles was paid $2.5 million, a claim that was later debunked by Wilde. All of this press surrounding Don’t Worry Darling has led many to assume that there is significant tension between Wilde and Pugh.
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Wilde now addresses one portion of the drama: Pugh skipping the bulk of Don’t Worry Darling’s press tour. As reported by Deadline, Wilde expressed gratitude for Pugh attending the red carpet premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. She continued by referencing the “endless tabloid gossip and noise” regarding the film and Pugh noting that “the internet feeds itself” and she would not be contributing to that. Check out the full quote from Widle below:
“Florence is a force, we are so grateful that she is able to make it tonight despite being in production. As for all the endless tabloid gossip and noise out there, the internet feeds itself. I don’t feel I need to contribute to it.”
Pugh and Wilde have yet to address their personal drama head-on. Here, Wilde brooches the subject, referencing the “endless tabloid gossip,” which definitely includes the potential drama between her and Pugh. Wilde, however, still does not directly address this aspect of the drama, referencing the gossip more generally. With her refusal to contribute to the drama, Wilde still leaves audiences in the dark as to what the status of the relationship between her and Pugh truly is. Her praise of Pugh might hint at the sanctity of their relationship, however it is so brief that it could be just an attempt to save face if the drama between her and Pugh is real.
In the end, Wilde’s vague statement does not do enough to dispel the myth of her and Pugh’s tension. With so many rumors circulating about Don’t Worry Darling, the film will carry significant baggage with it as it screens in wide release later this month. This begs the question: will all the drama and “noise” surrounding Don’t Worry Darling detract from the critical reviews or enjoyment of the film? Time will tell as the press tour for Don’t Worry Darling forges on without Pugh and Wilde and the other cast and crew members of Don’t Worry Darling have more opportunity to address the controversy.