Don't Worry Darling

A cause of much controversy already, this Olivia Wilde-directed thriller starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles has finally premiered.

Considering the depth of detail in the visual world-building, we're given frustratingly little information on what, well, the Victory project is about or wants to achieve. Layered over this, the music feels all over the place too, with a score made up of breathy female voices and thudding thriller tones contrasting, to whiplash effect, with era-specific popular songs. Unsurprisingly, his finest moment is when he gets up for a song-and-dance number; there's no denying his charm on stage, but on the screen, matinée idol he is not. Immersing itself in this era of Rat Pack allure with its festering misogynistic underbelly, the story explodes the enduring fantasy of the nuclear family and lays bare the dangers of romanticising the past. That's not to mention that the dystopian suburban setting feels wholly unoriginal too, considering The Stepford Wives exists, though that story was aided by a healthy helping of satire. He was then replaced by Harry Styles, who stars alongside Florence Pugh as Alice and Jack, a couple lucky enough to participate in the Victory project with its unbridled glamour, uncompromising comfort and traditional family roles.

Don't Worry Darling the film competes with the swirl of Olivia Wilde, Florence Pugh and Harry Styles rumours surrounding it.

[Harry Styles](https://metro.co.uk/tag/harry-styles/?ico=auto_link_entertainment_P1_LNK1) (allegedly) copped off with his director (a then-engaged-to-Jason-Sudeikis-the-father-of-her-two-children Olivia Wilde), to the, alleged, non-amusement of co-star Florence Pugh, who, allegedly, [also had alleged beef with Shia LeBeouf](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/04/florence-pugh-feud-dont-worry-darling-star-will-miss-press-conference-17298153/), who [ allegedly walked off the project](https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/26/shia-labeouf-denies-olivia-wildes-claims-she-fired-him-from-film-17251477/), to be replaced by Styles, for much-alleged-about reasons… Yet where Wilde’s hilarious teen comedy Booksmart (also not written by her) felt funny, fresh, and even ground-breaking, ultimately Don’t Worry Darling feels like a mish-mash of other great movies. In fact, puzzling out whether the much-anticipated twist really made any logical sense distracted me from the end of the movie. Alice (Pugh) and Jack Chambers (Styles) seem like the perfect, young married couple. Welcome to Victory, a Utopian Truman Show-like 1950s purpose-built community, in the middle of the baking Californian desert. It has to be said that, whatever their frosty real-life relationship might be, Florence Pugh and Harry Styles possess a smoking on-screen chemistry.

The director dodged awkward questions over Florence Pugh and Shia LaBeouf ahead of the film's Venice premiere.

In response, LaBeouf sent private emails, texts and video messages to Variety to prove his case that he actually quit due to lack of rehearsal time. Much of that was stoked by LaBeouf, who came out of the woodwork to contest a two-year-old narrative that he’d been fired from the project. He has a process that, in some ways, seems to require a combative energy, and I don’t personally believe that is conducive to the best performances.” Over the past few weeks, the question of exactly what happened on set has become a source of global intrigue. All eyes were on the director as she faced the world’s press ahead of the film’s premiere – and after days of controversy involving Shia LaBeouf’s withdrawal from the project and Florence Pugh’s reluctance to take part in any press tours. Reports indicated that Pugh wasn’t in attendance because her flight from the Budapest set of Dune 2 didn’t land until later in the afternoon.

Director Olivia Wilde lampoons American conformity in a sophomore feature that's more style over substance. DON'T WORRY DARLING - Harry Styles and Florence ...

But much like the elaborate charade at the heart of Victory, Wilde’s film ends up not being all that it seems — in both cases, the alluring surface belies the hollowness underneath. At first, Don’t Worry Darling seems to be a condemnation of American postwar conformit –a common theme in films that look back disparagingly at the 1950s — but Wilde doesn’t stop there, setting her sights on social ills that reach into the present. Touching on different genres and flaunting a sly sexiness — which is especially embodied in Pugh and Styles’ lusty rapport — Don’t Worry Darling doesn’t lack for confidence. To cite the pictures that Don’t Worry Darling references would spoil some of the plot’s surprises, but suffice it to say that the film’s Stepford Wives vibe hints at what might possibly be awaiting Alice once she starts seeking answers. Taking place in the 1950s, the film stars Pugh as Alice, happily married to successful, handsome Jack (Styles): they’ve recently moved to Victory, a tony, middle-class oasis in the middle of the Southern California desert. Following its premiere out of competition in Venice, Don’t Worry Darling will open across multiple territories on September 23, including the UK and US.

Florence Pugh brought her grandmother Pat with her for the Don't Worry Darling film premiere at the Venice Film Festival amid feud gossip.

She added to Interview Magazine: ‘She also knew that my real goal was to create a love story that felt so sincere between her and Harry that people would be incapable of not falling for them as a couple. ‘I wanted so badly to have a nuanced, layered relationship that people would buy into despite knowing at times in the film that they shouldn’t. In a recent interview, Olivia also said of her lead star: ‘She’s ferociously talented. The actress went on to reveal that she used to go climbing with her grandmother, and that she is still very fond of the great outdoors, aged 85. Pat, who was dressed in a white suit with a pink floral silk scarf, had a huge grin over her face for the duration of the red carpet walk and could be seen eagerly waving at the cameras. [posing for photographs on her own ](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/05/florence-pugh-joins-dont-worry-darling-co-stars-at-venice-film-festival-17303841/)at the ceremony, Florence walked hand in hand with Pat, who looked delighted by the fanfare.

Florence Pugh and Harry Styles star in Olivia Wilde's Booksmart follow-up. Read the Empire review.

There are issues of children being used to rein women in, in a way that’s deeply uncomfortable, and questions of female complicity in the patriarchy that don’t quite coalesce. There are obvious references, from Valley Of The Dolls to The Stepford Wives to the clean lines and bright colours of How To Marry A Millionaire. We want a confrontation that Alice never quite gets, and a sense of closure that never arrives. In the background looms Victory founder Frank ( [Chris Pine](https://www.empireonline.com/people/chris-pine/)), the magnetic figurehead of the whole place, who seems to dare Alice to keep searching. In fact, there’s a lack of cohesion to the whole last act. [Olivia Wilde](https://www.empireonline.com/people/olivia-wilde/)’s directorial debut, [Booksmart](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/booksmart-review/), is a delightful portrait of teenage life that constantly sidesteps your expectations to hilarious effect.

Venice film festival: Styles's accent is intentionally dodgy, but the rest of Olivia Wilde's unconvincing tale of dystopian suburbia does not have the same ...

They are seduced by the narcotic stupor of prosperity: the drinks, the food, the gleaming automobiles and the incessant jukebox slams of catchy music. Like Katharine Ross and Peter Masterson in Bryan Forbes’s The Stepford Wives from 1975, or Jeanne Tripplehorn and Tom Cruise in Sydney Pollack’s 1993 thriller The Firm, Jack and Alice are a couple who are at first thrilled by how great their lives are and do not suspect there is anything going on. But the company chief Frank (Chris Pine) and his glacial wife Shelley (Gemma Chan) have the creepy assurance of cult leaders. The wives have swallowed their anxiety and thus have a glazed, affectless expression, like the Valium addicts of postwar America or those mannequins in the fake Victory’s golden couple are Jack (Styles) and his stay-at-home wife Alice (Florence Pugh) who are apparently blissfully happy, loved up and living the American Dream. The setting is 1950s suburbia, or some disturbingly fabricated alt-reality version of 1950s suburbia, a glitchless picture-perfect place for a satire on conformity and patriarchy.

Dir: Olivia Wilde. Starring: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, Kate Berlant. 122 mins.

When she thinks she has seen a plane crashing in the mountains, she sets off across the desert to offer help. The screenplay by Katie Silberman (who co-wrote Wilde’s excellent debut feature Booksmart) seems inspired in equal measure by Brave New World and Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. Beneath its polished, very stylish outer sheen, though, it’s as hollow as the lives of its pampered but empty-headed protagonists. Jack is a one-dimensional figure, and the One Direction star fails to give him any hidden depth. Pugh is easily the film’s most vivid and compelling personality. One scene sees Jack go down on Alice the moment he gets home from work; it’s reminiscent of the famously steamy encounter between Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange on the kitchen table in The Postman Always Rings Twice. To be fair, he is playing a very dull character, a kind of Stepford husband. They mind the kids (if they have them), do the hoovering and cooking, and take dance lessons. This isn’t the disaster that some predicted – but it is a messy, convoluted affair with some very contrived plotting. The men are all employees of The Victory Project, a shadowy scheme headed by Frank (Chris Pine) that aspires to “change the world”. Its star [Florence Pugh](/topic/florence-pugh) (who didn’t appear at the Venice press conference due to conflicting commitments… Dir: Olivia Wilde.

Florence Pugh, 26, certainly made her entrance in a leggy playsuit, as she came face to face with Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles amid rumours of a feud ...

It is sort of a cross between Get Out, The Stepford Wives and Rosemary’s Baby with a ’50s swinging Rat Pack vibe thrown in for good measure. With a smudgy red-lipsticked grin, Don’t Worry Darling drags them out into the blazing desert light.' Suffice to say that Wilde and Silberman have conceived what often plays like a Palm Springs-shot derivation of The Stepford Wives, or perhaps an old Douglas Sirk melodrama by way of The Truman Show.' It doesn’t quite stick the landing, but its flight to that point is fascinating' Wilde is then said to allude to tension between LaBeouf and lead star Florence, who plays Alice, the wife of Jack It doesn’t quite stick the landing, but its flight to that point is fascinating.' Wilde is then said to allude to tension between LaBeouf and lead star Florence, who plays Alice, the wife of Jack. Wilde goes on: 'If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace - and I respect your point of view, I respect hers - but if you guys can do it, what do you think? She starts worrying that her husband and his company are hiding terrible secrets (If you're paying attention, it’s not that hard to figure out what exactly is happening.) 'I'm honored you were willing to go there with me, for me to tell a story with you. The press conference was scheduled to take place at 12:15 p.m.

The director called Pugh a “force” as she spoke on the feud rumours after saying the actress needs a “wake-up call” in leaked video.

I don’t feel the need to contribute, I think it’s sufficiently well nourished.” Wilde called Pugh a “force” as she acknowledged the gossip surrounding her relationship with the star at the Don’t Worry Darling press conference, which the actress did not attend due to Dune 2 filming commitments. The director called Pugh a “force” as she spoke on the feud rumours after saying the actress needs a “wake-up call” in leaked video

The actor made the comment while appearing on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival premiere of her new film Don't Worry Darling. Directed by ...

[Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) Styles gives a surprisingly dull and low-wattage performance as Jack. “It’s very exciting to see a woman do that on and off camera.” [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. When someone says I can’t have cake.” The film has been plagued by reports of behind-the-scenes drama, including a rumoured “falling out” between Pugh and Wilde. “I can’t say enough how honoured I am to have her as our lead,” she responded. [three-star review for The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dont-worry-darling-review-venice-olivia-wilde-b2160026.html), Geoffrey Macnab writes: “This isn’t the disaster that some predicted – but it is a messy, convoluted affair with some very contrived plotting. [timeline of all the behind-the-scenes controversies to have plagued Don’t Worry Darling, click here](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dont-worry-darling-venice-controversy-b2160035.html). [heaped criticism on Styles’s performance](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dont-worry-darling-harry-styles-performance-review-b2160335.html). I don’t feel the need to contribute, I think it’s sufficiently well nourished.” [asked about the rumours at a press conference earlier in the day](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/olivia-wilde-florence-pugh-dont-worry-darling-b2159981.html).

Dir: Olivia Wilde. Starring: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, Kate Berlant. 122 mins.

When she thinks she has seen a plane crashing in the mountains, she sets off across the desert to offer help. The screenplay by Katie Silberman (who co-wrote Wilde’s excellent debut feature Booksmart) seems inspired in equal measure by Brave New World and Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. Beneath its polished, very stylish outer sheen, though, it’s as hollow as the lives of its pampered but empty-headed protagonists. Jack is a one-dimensional figure, and the One Direction star fails to give him any hidden depth. Pugh is easily the film’s most vivid and compelling personality. One scene sees Jack go down on Alice the moment he gets home from work; it’s reminiscent of the famously steamy encounter between Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange on the kitchen table in The Postman Always Rings Twice. To be fair, he is playing a very dull character, a kind of Stepford husband. They mind the kids (if they have them), do the hoovering and cooking, and take dance lessons. This isn’t the disaster that some predicted – but it is a messy, convoluted affair with some very contrived plotting. The men are all employees of The Victory Project, a shadowy scheme headed by Frank (Chris Pine) that aspires to “change the world”. Its star [Florence Pugh](/topic/florence-pugh) (who didn’t appear at the Venice press conference due to conflicting commitments… Dir: Olivia Wilde.

The early reviews for Don't Worry Darling are in after the premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Monday and the majority of them have been negative.

Movie - Empire](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/dont-worry-darling/) [Don’t Worry Darling, review: hints of Stepford in this citrus-sharp psychological thriller Harry Styles Florence Pugh](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/dont-worry-darling-review-hints-stepford-citrus-sharp-psychological/) [‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Review: Olivia Wilde, Harry Styles, Florence Pugh – Deadline](https://deadline.com/2022/09/dont-worry-darling-venice-review-olivia-wilde-harry-styles-1235108412/) [www.usatoday.com...](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2022/09/05/dont-worry-darling-movie-review/7959926001/) Everyone in town is in thrall to Frank, with Jack and Alice equally in thrall to their loins. Even George Clooney’s flawed Suburbicon (2017) explored some of the same themes more compellingly, not to mention the brilliant TV drama Mad Men. It’s not that the former [One Direction](/tvshowbiz/one_direction/index.html) singer can’t act – he can. It’s more that he seems a trifle mechanical alongside his co-star, the excellent Florence Pugh. Wilde is then said to allude to tension between LaBeouf and lead star Florence Pugh, who plays Alice, the wife of Jack. the problem is that this movie just isn't very good: BRIAN VINER reviews Don't Worry Darling It is sort of a cross between Get Out, The Stepford Wives and Rosemary’s Baby with a ’50s swinging Rat Pack vibe thrown in for good measure. Wilde goes on: 'If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace - and I respect your point of view, I respect hers - but if you guys can do it, what do you think? It doesn’t quite stick the landing, but its flight to that point is fascinating' Suffice to say that Wilde and Silberman have conceived what often plays like a Palm Springs-shot derivation of The Stepford Wives, or perhaps an old Douglas Sirk melodrama by way of The Truman Show.' It doesn’t quite stick the landing, but its flight to that point is fascinating.'

Amid all the drama, the stars of Don't Worry Darling and director Olivia Wilde took to the red carpet in Venice, with attendees enjoying a screening straight ...

And he zoned out (likes he’s been doing all day) and realised it’s in his lap. and chris made no movement to wipe it off and just sat there smiling and laughing? ‘People actually think harry walked over there and decided to spit on chris for no reason, in front of multiple people? ‘Chris pine just wondered where his sunglasses were after the applause. ‘Do people SERIOUSLY think that harry would’ve actually SPIT on chris, with full knowledge that he was surrounded by cameras?? [Don’t Worry Darling](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/05/dont-worry-darling-review-olivia-wilde-film-almost-as-hot-as-feud-gossip-17303394/) premiere…but did [Harry Styles](https://metro.co.uk/tag/harry-styles/?ico=auto_link_entertainment_P1_LNK1) spit on Chris Pine?!

The film, also starring Florence Pugh, Gemma Chan, and Chris Pine, received a standing ovation and Harry appeared over the moon, heading straight for Nick, ...

‘I wanted so badly to have a nuanced, layered relationship that people would buy into despite knowing at times in the film that they shouldn’t. ‘She also knew that my real goal was to create a love story that felt so sincere between her and Harry that people would be incapable of not falling for them as a couple. We were lucky to have that world built so well around us, so we could play in reality instead of pretending everything was nice.’ ‘This world [of Don’t Worry Darling] is supposedly so perfect; it was fun to play pretend in it. [eventful press conference](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/05/harry-styles-and-olivia-wilde-pose-with-dont-worry-darling-cast-minus-florence-pugh-17299862/) and [premiere for the upcoming psychological thriller](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/05/florence-pugh-joins-dont-worry-darling-co-stars-at-venice-film-festival-17303841/), with the cast and attendees enjoying a screening in the evening. [Harry Styles](https://metro.co.uk/tag/harry-styles/?ico=auto_link_entertainment_P1_LNK1) may have been inches away from his girlfriend, director Olivia Wilde, during the [Don’t Worry Darling](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/05/dont-worry-darling-review-olivia-wilde-film-almost-as-hot-as-feud-gossip-17303394/) screening at Venice Film Festival, but it was co-star Nick Kroll he decided to plant a kiss on.

Possibly the actor was trying to lighten the mood, amid a string of controversies surrounding the movie.

[received middling reviews at best](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/don-t-worry-darling-reviews-rotten-tomatoes-b2160311.html) with critics nonetheless praising Pugh’s performance for its intensity while [criticising Styles’ for its lack of energy.](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dont-worry-darling-harry-styles-performance-review-b2160335.html) [In his three-star review for The Independent , Geoffrey Macnab wrote](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dont-worry-darling-review-venice-olivia-wilde-b2160026.html): “Jack is a one-dimensional figure, and the One Direction star fails to give him any hidden depth. [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. She plays Alice in such fiery fashion that most other characters seem robotic by comparison.” [timeline of all the behind-the-scenes controversies to have plagued Don’t Worry Darling, click here](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dont-worry-darling-venice-controversy-b2160035.html).

Florence Pugh and Chris Pine act their socks off but this Mad Men-meets-Stepford Wives thriller all feels a bit... done.

Wilde has little time for the backstory that has led Alice and Jack to Victory and this omission is a gaping hole, making the denouement more confusing than revelatory. The only trouble is that we see the same scenes repeatedly: the breakfast preparation, the men driving off to work, the evening cocktail, the enthusiastic sex between Alice and Jack. Wilde beautifully captures the sunny suburban loveliness, and every day that the women wave their husbands off to work looks like a gleaming ad from the era. And yet it takes the film a good 90 minutes to reveal where it’s all going, by which point viewers have either worked it out for themselves or lost interest, possibly both. They live in a company town in the desert, where Jack works as a technician for the charismatic chief executive, Frank (Chris Pine). We know he can sing and pull off a great outfit, but has he got the chops as a leading man?

Premiered at the Venice Film Festival this morning, Olivia Wilde's '50s psychodrama with a feminist twist, Don't Worry Darling, is Styles' first big movie ...

[Don't Worry Darling](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/harry-styles-sex-scenes). But then came around the first major press preview of Don’t Worry Darling, screened in full early this morning at the Venice Film Festival. First came a promising part in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, then a vanishing cameo in the post-credits Chloe Zhao’s Eternals; Olivia Wilde’s devilish new retro drama, which just premiered at the Venice Film Festival, is our first proper, public look at

The singer planted a dramatic smooch on the actor as guests politely applauded the film, despite it being slammed by critics.

We love the contrasting shades of blue too! It's certainly a look we won't be forgetting in a hurry. Part of that evidence saw Wilde speak disparagingly about the movie's lead, Florence Pugh. Harry Styles kissed his co-star Nick Kroll as their drama-plagued film Don't Worry Darling receiving a four-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival on Monday [Harry Styles](/tvshowbiz/harry_styles/index.html) kissed his co-star Nick Kroll as their drama-plagued film Don't Worry Darling receiving a four-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival on Monday. Harry Styles plants a KISS on co-star Nick Kroll as the drama-plagued Don't Worry Darling receives a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival

The actor, 42, took part in the junket for the film at the Venice Film Festival on Monday to promote the film; Fans were quick to notice Chris ...

Wilde is then said to allude to tension between LaBeouf and lead star Florence, who plays Alice, the wife of Jack. Wilde goes on: 'If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace - and I respect your point of view, I respect hers - but if you guys can do it, what do you think? For years, fans of the former One Direction star embraced his routine at concerts where he would take a gulp of water and then spit it out at the crowd. The press conference was scheduled to take place at 12:15 p.m. 'I'm honoured you were willing to go there with me, for me to tell a story with you. Cinema: Bobbi added, 'Chris Pine disassociating at a press conference, Florence Pugh showing up 15 mins late with an aperol spritz, Tom Cruise clinging to a plane and saying "see you at the movies!" Bobbi added, 'Chris Pine disassociating at a press conference, Florence Pugh showing up 15 mins late with an aperol spritz, Tom Cruise clinging to a plane and saying "see you at the movies!" Part of that evidence saw Wilde speak disparagingly about the movie's lead, Florence Pugh. You show up to your cast HATING each other and you get stuck on a junket with a man who has seemingly just figured out what acting is? Look at him laughing at the tension. the reason why you go to watch something on the big screen,' Styles said during the press conference. Tension: @goldnangel adds, 'Chris Pine definitely knows the behind the scenes of all the DWD mess.

While the duo have an apparently perfect relationship, Victory hides a dark secret, which Alice begins to uncover. Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, and Olivia Wilde ...

Styles, as he did in Christopher Nolan's "Jack is a one-dimensional figure, and the One Direction star fails to give him any hidden depth. Directed by Olivia Wilde, it superciliously pinches ideas from other films without quite understanding how and why they worked in the first place. (It's not like we watch Chris Pine's speech and think, "What a good dude!" "Ultimately, the film raises far more questions than it answers, and is deeply unsatisfying as a result. It's just a shame all the effort has gone into a script without much of that 2019 debut's disarming freshness." [Variety](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/dont-worry-darling-review-florence-pugh-harry-styles-olivia-wilde-1235360429/) (opens in new tab) – Owen Gleiberman More frustrating is that the film also offers stunning craft work, a wonderfully immersive quality, and one of star Florence Pugh's best performances yet. She's required to disintegrate then galvanize – a trick that does at times evoke the emotional trajectory she nailed in "Pine seems to have the most fun, though, as a silver-tongued guru whose compliments and advice are delivered as smiling threats. While the duo have an apparently perfect relationship, Victory hides a dark secret, which Alice begins to uncover. Florence Pugh is being highly praised, and critics agree that the film's visuals are top-notch, but there's criticism aimed at the plot, particularly a big twist, and opinions on Harry Styles' performance vary.

The premiere of Don't Worry, Darling has given the internet a whole host of new memes after a seemingly awkward evening between Olivia Wilde, Harry Styles ...

someone needs to begin a full fledged investigation into what happened on that don’t worry darling set… In it, she said: “I feel like I'm not ready to give up on this yet, and I, too, am heartbroken and I want to figure this out. In possibly one of the most bizarre headlines to emerge from Don’t Worry, Darling’s premiere night, people are wondering whether Harry spat on co-star Chris Pine as he took his seat in the cinema. The run-up to Don’t Worry, Darling’s release has been plagued by rumours of a fallout on set, with sources claiming Florence wasn’t happy about Olivia and now-boyfriend Harry growing close on set after the director’s split from Jason Sudeikis. [Don’t Worry, Darling](https://www.capitalfm.com/news/tv-film/dont-worry-darling-release-date-trailer-cast/)’s film premiere took place at [Venice Film Festival](https://www.capitalfm.com/news/celebrity/harry-styles-florence-pugh-gemma-chan-gucci/) on Monday night, hours after Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, Chris Pine and [Harry Styles](/artists/harry-styles/) took to a panel to answer journalists’ questions about the flick. The premiere of Don’t Worry, Darling has given the internet a whole host of new memes after a seemingly awkward evening between Olivia Wilde, Harry Styles and Florence Pugh.

Moment-by-moment, the event has been dissected by fans, as the cast, including Harry Styles, Florence Pugh, Chris Pine and Gemma Chan, and director Olivia Wilde ...

During the call, she says: ‘I too am heartbroken, and I want to figure this out. ‘It feels like a real go-to-the-theatre film, movie, that y’know… [kiss on the lips with co-star Nick](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/06/harry-styles-kisses-nick-kroll-during-dont-worry-darling-standing-ovation-17305526/), holding his face in his hands, and giving him a big hug afterwards. [Don’t worry darling, Harry Styles (probably) didn’t spit on Chris Pine at Venice](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/06/dont-worry-darling-harry-styles-didnt-spit-on-chris-pine-17305621/?ico=more_text_links) ‘You know, my favourite thing about the movie is, like, it feels like a movie,’ he said at one point. [When Florence did rock up](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/05/florence-pugh-joins-dont-worry-darling-co-stars-at-venice-film-festival-17303841/), she stunned in royal purple, and shades, with what appeared to be an Aperol Spritz in hand. [Holes actor’s denial that he was sacked](https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/26/shia-labeouf-denies-olivia-wildes-claims-she-fired-him-from-film-17251477/) and that he instead walked away, all eyes were on the premiere. [when asked directly](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/05/harry-styles-and-olivia-wilde-pose-with-dont-worry-darling-cast-minus-florence-pugh-17299862/) about any behind-the-scenes feud between the pair, she gave a very vague answer. Amid the feud rumours, it was made clear that Florence would not take part in a press conference for the film at Venice, but would later walk the red carpet with the rest of the cast. In the lead-up to the film festival, Olivia seemingly tried to quash rumours that she and Florence didn’t see eye to eye, heaping praise on the actress. The upcoming psychological thriller has been at the centre of speculation for months amid claims that Olivia and Florence have been in the midst of a feud (although the director has had nothing but praise for her leading actress). [Don’t Worry Darling](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/05/dont-worry-darling-review-olivia-wilde-film-almost-as-hot-as-feud-gossip-17303394/) press conference and premiere at Venice Film Festival have enthralled fans.

The director answered the question from a journalist during the Don't Worry Darling press conference at the Venice International Film Festival. Wilde was in ...

[Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) Styles gives a surprisingly dull and low-wattage performance as Jack. She will walk the red carpet for the event later on Monday (5 September). [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. The director responded: “Florence is a force and we are so grateful that she is able to make it tonight despite being in production on Dune. [three-star review for The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dont-worry-darling-review-venice-olivia-wilde-b2160026.html), Geoffrey Macnab writes: “This isn’t the disaster that some predicted – but it is a messy, convoluted affair with some very contrived plotting. She continued: “I can’t say enough how honoured I am to have her as our lead. [heaped criticism on Styles’s performance](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dont-worry-darling-harry-styles-performance-review-b2160335.html). I don’t feel the need to contribute, I think it’s sufficiently well nourished.” [all the behind-the-scenes drama from Don’t Worry Darling here](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dont-worry-darling-controversy-timeline-b2158157.html). [Wilde heaped praise on the “ferociously talented” actor](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dont-worry-darling-florence-pugh-olivia-wilde-b2158181.html) in a new interview. [shows the director asking him not to quit the project.](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/olivia-wilde-shia-labeouf-video-b2154001.html)

Why did Olivia Wilde call Florence Pugh 'Miss Flo'? Did Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine? What's going on behind the scenes of Don't Worry Darling?

As Styles approaches his seat, he leans over Pine before sitting down - it’s here that many across the internet claim that Styles spat on Pine. “That’s just not what I’m going to be discussing because [the film] is bigger and better than that. “If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace - and I respect your point of view, I respect hers - but if you guys can do it, what do you think? It’s not why I’m in this industry. Wilde continued: “I find myself just really wishing him health and evolution because I believe in restorative justice. What’s going on behind the scenes of Don’t Worry Darling? However, Showbiz Galore did not cite any sources or evidence for the claim. That was my job.” The video added more fuel to the fire that was the rumour that Wilde and Pugh had had a falling out during the production of the film. Even talking to Harper’s Bazaar, Pugh talked little about Don’t Worry Darling, although she did say that she didn’t want the film and her performance to be “reduced” to Why did Olivia Wilde call Florence Pugh ‘Miss Flo’? However, shortly after the interview with Variety was released, LaBeouf hit back at the claims that he was fired from the film, stating that he quit Don’t Worry Darling because he and the rest of the cast “couldn’t find time to rehearse”.

Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Jason Sudeikis, Florence Pugh, and Shia LaBeouf are all involved. By Elizabeth Logan · Image may contain: Clothing, ...

[Chris Pine](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/topic/chris-pine). Wilde can’t figure out how to get the story out of this eddy; she stalls and repeats until it’s time to just go ahead and reveal what’s happening because the [movie](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/topic/movies) has to end at some point. [Florence Pugh posed with Olivia Wilde on the Don't Worry Darling red carpet amid feud rumours](/article/florence-pugh-olivia-wilde-venice) [Don’t Worry Darling](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/harry-styles-florence-pugh-dont-worry-darling-movie-news). [Don’t Worry Darling](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/dont-worry-darling-olivia-wilde-harry-styles-drama) glides along, its jumble of repurposed elements in lively enough harmony until it’s time to knuckle down and really get into what’s happening to Alice. If only their chemistry was the [foundation](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/topic/foundation) on which Don’t Worry Darling was built, instead of its stack of blurry copies of things done better elsewhere, years ago. Now that the [film](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/topic/movies) has debuted, maybe we can just focus on the movie itself, which is neither triumph nor disaster. Styles is one of the biggest music acts on the planet at the moment, and this, his second film role, was once the buzziest thing about the movie. Director [Olivia Wilde](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/topic/olivia-wilde) has made an obvious and intermittently entertaining sci-thriller, one that borrows heavily from many better things but uses those pilfered parts effectively enough. Of course, there is an ominous hum underlying all this sozzled good-living, the sense that nothing this perfectly secure and uniformly agreeable could be real. In the lead is Let us, if we can, put aside all the various mini-controversies that surrounded the lead up to the Venice premiere of

Olivia Wilde's new film Don't Worry Darling has premiered at the Venice Film Festival – and the first reviews are now in. The film, Wilde's second ...

[Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) “This follow-up [to Booksmart] is vastly more ambitious and harder to instantly embrace,” she wrote. [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. “The good news is that it shows considerably more ambition and is anchored by an extraordinary performance from Florence Pugh.” “Styles is a huge problem for the film. One could imagine that she was exacting some level of revenge on Wilde, because she wipes the floor with Styles in their every encounter.” Styles gives a surprisingly dull and low-wattage performance as Jack. [timeline of all the behind-the-scenes controversies to have plagued Don’t Worry Darling, click here](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dont-worry-darling-venice-controversy-b2160035.html). [heaped criticism on Styles’s performance](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dont-worry-darling-harry-styles-performance-review-b2160335.html). [three-star review for The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dont-worry-darling-review-venice-olivia-wilde-b2160026.html), Geoffrey Macnab writes: “This isn’t the disaster that some predicted – but it is a messy, convoluted affair with some very contrived plotting. [current Venice contender The Whale](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-whale-review-venice-b2159492.html)). [Florence Pugh](/topic/florence-pugh) and [Harry Styles](/topic/harry-styles).

Pine stars in Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling, which premiered at the international cinema event on Monday night (5 September). For months, the film, which ...

Other critics have also [heaped criticism on Styles’s performance](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dont-worry-darling-harry-styles-performance-review-b2160335.html). “It’s very exciting to see a woman do that on and off camera.” [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) You show up to your cast HATING each other and you get stuck on a junket with a man who has seemingly just figured out what acting is? [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. Another added: “This is so funny. “It feels like a real go-to-the-theatre film, movie, that you know… Feminist theory books on deck for your down time between junkets. Another wrote on Twitter: “Imagine being Chris Pine, a PROFESSIONAL actor. [all the behind-the-scenes drama from Don’t Worry Darling here](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dont-worry-darling-controversy-timeline-b2158157.html). [addressed the rumours of a “falling out” between herself and Pugh](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/olivia-wilde-florence-pugh-dont-worry-darling-b2159981.html), a fifth person observed that Pine looked as if he was “astral projecting to the Swiss alps”. “You know, my favourite thing about the movie is it feels like a movie,” Styles says, as his co-star appears to stare off into the distance.

The Don't Worry Darling premiere was a hot mess – from Harry Styles kissing Nick Kroll to Chris Pine doing... whatever Chris Pine was doing.

Wow.” [While another added](https://twitter.com/waystarroyhoe/status/1566808433025769479?s=20&t=XupwO8gflRr74oMTLEg5AQ): “Chris Pine disassociating at a press conference, Florence Pugh showing up 15 mins late with an aperol spritz, Tom Cruise clinging to a plane and saying ‘see you at the movies!’, [Brendan Fraser](https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/01/14/brendan-fraser-gay-film-the-whale-darren-aronofsky/) getting a six minute ovation…maybe cinema really is back.” literally dissociating from his surroundings Olivia Wilde: Florence Pugh is a force. “My favourite thing about the movie,” Styles began, “is like it feels like a movie. [writing: ](https://twitter.com/hiimbobbi/status/1566842761923514369?s=20&t=XupwO8gflRr74oMTLEg5AQ)“Imagine being Chris Pine, a PROFESSIONAL actor. All is well. Others speculated on whether Styles and Wilde – who are reported to be an item – had split amid the chaos. [September 5, 2022] You show up to your cast HATING each other and you get stuck on a junket with a man who has seemingly just figured out what acting is? [September 6, 2022]

Like the weeks leading up to it, the film's premiere was full of headline-grabbing moments, despite poor reviews. VENICE, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 05: (R-L) Nick ...

Everyone has played their part so well in this nonsense that for a brief, shimmering time, it did feel entirely plausible that Styles could well have spat on his co-star at the beginning of the film’s premiere. More than likely, they’ll get even more ticket sales out of it too – perhaps, in this way at least, Wilde will have the last laugh. It felt almost retro, the idea that any number of these strangers and I might be united not by looking at terrible national news, for once, but gleefully superficial celebrity gossip. I simply want them to wear clothes that I can’t afford but can comment on sagely and at length, and to behave outrageously, stupidly, or both. It stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles and Chris Pine, and over recent weeks has become the subject of intense speculation due to “How many of you, right now,” I wondered, “are watching Harry Styles allegedly spitting on Chris Pine?”

The psychological sci-fi thriller, starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, premiered this week at the Venice film festival, amid mounting reports of behind-the ...

(It was later clarified that this was because her flight landed after the fact.) LaBeouf denied this, sharing a video from the time which appears to show Wilde asking him to stay on, and referring to Pugh as “Miss Flo”. [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) Ratner denied all of the allegations. He apologised for the homophobic slur, but the scandal had taken a toll on Tower Heist’s prospects. [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. The interview prompted widespread condemnation over moments such as Ratner boasting about his sexual prowess, and discussing having sex with Lindsay Lohan. At the time, people suspected that Phoenix was going off the rails – Two Lovers got all but completely drowned out by the noise. He then memorably began jumping up and down on Oprah Winfrey’s furniture. [zone out during the press conference for the film and at the premiere later that evening have gone viral](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/chris-pine-dont-worry-darling-olivia-wilde-harry-styles-b2160600.html). [interview with The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/liam-neeson-rape-black-man-attack-cosh-cold-pursuit-sexual-assault-interview-a8760866.html). [here for a timeline of the behind-the-scenes controversies that have surrounded the film](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dont-worry-darling-venice-controversy-b2160035.html).