Inside the Don't Worry Darling cast controversy

Olivia Wilde's psychological thriller Don't Worry Darling has landed on Prime Video, two years after its big-screen release was overshadowed by controversy.

The dystopian film stars Florence Pugh and Harry Styles as a couple living in an isolated desert community in 1950s California. But it generated buzz for all the wrong reasons, with fans becoming more invested in reports of a behind-the-scenes feud between Pugh and Wilde.

Pugh recently declined to comment on the speculation, saying she wanted to focus on promoting her current project We Live in Time. "There's so many times when I've been doing press for a movie, and I am asked questions about [Don't Worry Darling]," she told Vogue. "I always think it's unfair to take the space away from the movie that I'm talking about."

It's rare for a film to spark so much apparent off-screen drama, so what actually happened during the making of Don't Worry Darling? Here is everything we know.

Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh's alleged feud

Alleged tensions between director Olivia Wilde and star Florence Pugh were major talking point on social media before the film's release. The pair had "several disagreements personally and professionally", according to a source cited by US Weekly.

Pugh was reported to have "severely limited" her media engagements to promote the film. She did not attend its premiere in New York, and also was absent from a press conference at the Venice Film Festival, though she did walk the red carpet with her cast mates at that event.

A source who was on the film's set told Rolling Stone: "From what I understand, there is friction, but I don't know why. It's pretty clear [Pugh is] choosing not to be a part of the PR. It's clearly not beneficial to Olivia to not have her be a part of the PR. It has to be a Florence decision."

But another insider said: "I never noticed one second of tension on that set. Not one second." Studio officials noted that Pugh was busy filming Dune: Part Two in Hungary during Don't Worry Darling's promotional tour.

In an interview with Variety, Wilde seemingly alluded to the rumours by condemning the "tabloid media" for "[pitting] women against one another". She praised the Midsommar star as "extraordinary" and "the most exciting young actress working today".

Shia LeBoeuf out, Harry Styles in

Shia LaBoeuf was originally cast opposite Pugh as her on-screen husband, but left the film in August 2020 and was replaced by Harry Styles.

Sources initially blamed "scheduling conflicts" but Wilde later claimed she fired LeBoeuf to create a "safe, trusting environment" on set. She said: "I say this as someone who is such an admirer of his work. His process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions."

LeBoeuf disputed this, claiming he chose to leave due to a lack of rehearsal time. In a further twist, a leaked video appeared to show Wilde saying she was "heartbroken" about LaBeouf's exit and wanted to "figure this out".

A journalist was stopped from asking Wilde a question about LaBeouf at Venice Film Festival, fuelling further controversy. Then, in an interview on US TV, Wilde failed to clarify whether she fired LeBoeuf or whether he quit, calling it "a question of semantics".

After LaBeouf's exit from the film, his ex-girlfriend FKA twigs sued him for "relentless abuse", which he denies.

Don't Worry Darling was Styles' first major Hollywood role, following small parts in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk and Marvel's Eternals. Some viewers were baffled at his Transatlantic accent in Wilde's film.

Harry Styles and Florence Pugh's salaries

Social media users spread unverified claims of a pay gap between Styles and Pugh on the film, with a gossip website claiming that Oscar nominee Pugh was paid three times less than her male co-star. Film studios do not disclose stars' salaries, but Wilde said there was "absolutely no validity" to the reports.

She told Variety that she was "really upset" by "the absurdity of invented clickbait and subsequent reaction regarding a nonexistent pay disparity". She added: "I'm a woman who has been in this business for over 20 years, and it's something that I have fought for myself and others, especially being a director."

Olivia Wilde's split from Jason Sudeikis

Wilde and Styles began dating publicly in January 2021 after meeting on the set of Don't Worry Darling. The A-list relationship attracted countless column inches before they split in November 2022.

Wilde was previously engaged to Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, with whom she has two children. In April 2022, Wilde was served custody papers on behalf of Sudeikis while appearing on stage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas to promote Don't Worry Darling.

The director described the incident as "vicious", adding: "In any other workplace, it would be seen as an attack. "It was really upsetting. It shouldn't have been able to happen. There was a huge breach in security, which is really scary."

A source for Sudeikis said the actor had "no prior knowledge of the time or place" that the documents would be served.

'Spitgate' and lukewarm reviews from critics

The controversy surrounding Don't Worry Darling meant all eyes were on Venice Film Festival for its premiere in September 2022. Things took a bizarre turn when some fans accused Harry Styles of spitting into co-star Chris Pine's lap as he took his seat.

Pine had earlier appeared to roll his eyes and "zone out" while Styles was talking at the press conference. A source close to Styles said the alleged spitting incident, dubbed 'Spitgate', was "not true", while Pine's representative said called it "a complete fabrication".

Pugh did turn up to the Venice premiere, having missed the earlier press conference, but she and Wilde reportedly "kept their distance" at the event.

Away from the alleged drama between the stars, the film attracted a lukewarm reception from critics in Venice. The Guardian called it a "movie marooned in a desert of unoriginality" while the Evening Standard branded it "glossy but empty". The Independent said Styles' performance was "charisma-free" and called the film a "messy, convoluted affair".

The film has a critics' score of just 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, although its audience score is significantly higher at 74%.

Don't Worry Darling is streaming on Prime Video