After long-swirling rumors about the conflict between Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde on the set of Don’t Worry Darling, one messy anonymous source from the film’s production has come forward to confirm that the two did in fact engage in a “screaming match” during filming.
Speaking to Vulture, the source says the altercation occurred in January 2021, when filming was close to wrapping up. Fed up with Wilde’s tendency to disappear with fellow DWD star Harry Styles, the 26-year-old actor and the 38-year-old director broke into a very public “screaming match” on set.
From there, it’s reported that top studio executives such as Toby Emmerich had to intervene, refereeing in a “long negotiation process” to keep Pugh willing to minimally promote the film. In the months leading up to the film’s release, she’s done just that, with a singular, brief appearance at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month. Aside from attending the film’s world premiere, Pugh has stayed out of sight and away from recording devices.
Sometimes nothing works better for promotion than eye-catching headlines (like this one) featuring one of the most high-profile actors in Hollywood and one of the world’s biggest pop stars. However, it seems Warner Bros. would have rather had a drama-free rollout for the film, as an anonymous executive says the company is “ultimately unhappy” with Wilde’s promotion (particularly with the director’s handling of the Shia LaBeouf news).
“Olivia is either a mad genius who figured out a way to make people more aware of the movie in a way that just drives up the box office,” says one source, “or she doesn’t have any self-awareness that she is fucking up her movie.”
With Don’t Worry Darling making its nationwide theatrical debut today, the drama surrounding the film will soon enter the rearview—that is, until Miss Flo decides to put it to paper in her memoir.