Cast of 'Don't Worry Darling' at the Venice Film Festival. Image Source: Pop Sugar
Olivia Wilde quashes the tabloid gossip.
At the 2022 International Venice Film Festival, the cast of Don’t Worry, Darling appeared for the press conference where director-actress Olivia Wilde had once again debunked the rumors of a feud with lead actress Florence Pugh. Florence Pugh did not attend the press conference for the movie but walked the red carpet for the premiere of the movie.
During the press conference, Olivia Wilde was joined by Chris Pine, Harry Styles, and Gemma Chan, and a reporter said to them that it was a shame that the lead actress was not at the press conference and went ahead to ask Olivia if she could clarify the situation and address if there had been any falling out between the two actresses because people have been chatting about it a lot.
Florence is a force, according to Olivia, and the entire crew is appreciative that she managed to attend the Venice Film Festival premiere despite being in the middle of Dune production. She continued by expressing her gratitude to her and Denis Villeneuve for helping them out and adding that they are overjoyed to celebrate the work they have done together. She also said that as a director, she understands how upsetting it is to lose an actor, even for a day. She added that she cannot adequately express how honored she feels to have her as the lead actress in the film. Florence Pugh is outstanding in the film, said Olivia.
Regarding the never-ending tabloid rumors and the commotion around their breakup or other issues, the director-actress Olivia Wilde stated that the internet feeds itself and that she does not feel the need to participate in it since it is adequately well nourished.
Olivia Wilde, on the other hand, avoided answering questions about Shia LaBeouf's recent letter to her, in which he stated that he decided to leave the film because he and the actress were unable to find a middle ground to begin acting. She was asked to address the situation and the noise around it too when panel moderator Giulia D’Agnolo Vallen stepped in and said that the answer had been given when Olivia spoke about the internet. Olivia Wilde in her Variety interview had mentioned that the acting process of the actor did not match up with hers and thus she had to make a decision to remove him from the movie and Harry Styles was hired for the lead actor's part. She has not yet addressed the claims of Shia LaBeouf regarding him leaving the movie.
Recently, Olivia Wilde also expressed that she had to cut down on steamy footage from the trailer since the MPAA came down hard on her and stated that that steamy footage could have taken the trailer a notch up, but added that, of course, she understands that we still live in a puritanical society and she does think that the lack of eroticism in American films is kind of new.
When it comes to feminine pleasure, Olivia remarked, the audience simply doesn't see it very frequently unless they are discussing queer movies. She said that it's strange because many LGBT films allow female characters to have more arousal. Viewers aren't as devout as companies want to portray them to be. However, people start to lash out. People are already upset with Olivia Wilde for a scene in which Harry Styles' character engages in oral sex with Florence Pugh's characters. Olivia Wilde said that the sequence is a testament to the film and that it was done intentionally to incite people to anger. It is not the intention to make the audience feel unsafe.
In response to the film's steamy moments, Florence Pugh stated in an interview that the chatter about the sex or steamy scene in a movie is not the reason why people make movies but added that's not the reason we watch sex scenes or watch the most renowned man in the world perform oral sex on someone. She knows there will be a lot of chatter and rumors about the scene or the movie when the most well-known pop artist in the world is cast in a part, but that is not the only reason she works in this industry. Florence concluded that it's beyond that and the creators and actors are more than just filming steamy scenes.
