Another day, another news story about the drama surrounding “Don’t Worry Darling.” Is anyone else sick of hearing about the rumors swirling around this movie? Well, director Olivia Wilde is now sick of it too, and she said as much during her recent interview with Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show.”
Variety reports that Wilde touched upon almost everything in her interview with Colbert. First up is the internet theory that Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine during the film’s world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. “Harry did not spit on Chris, in fact,” Wilde told Colbert. Ever the gallant jokester, Colbert quipped back, “Only time will tell. We’ll see,” to which Wilde could only laugh. As to why so many people believe this ridiculous story? “I think it’s a perfect example of, like, people will look for drama anywhere that they can,” the director explained. Too true, Ms. Wilde, but the story also brought more attention to “Don’t Worry Darling,” which, let’s face it, you kinda-sorta wanted.
But Wilde insisted that’s not the case, and that she finds the internet’s gossiping about her movie to have changed her perspective about online life as a whole. “The whole experience has sort of changed my way of thinking about the internet,” Wilde continued. “But, really, it’s kind of ironic, because all of this is really what the film’s about. The film is about the narratives we are fed and whether we choose to accept them or question their sources.” Yup, it’s true that one should remain wary of given narratives, especially on the internet, but it doesn’t entirely explain while Wilde has quasi-relished all of the drama during the film’s lead-up. After all, not all attention is good attention. Shouldn’t Wilde know that by now?
Onto the next rumor: whether or not Wilde fired former lead Shia LaBeouf before production on “Don’t Worry Darling” started. “Early on in the process of making the film, as the director, I tried to mediate a situation between people to try to see if they could work together happily,” Wilde explained. “Once it became clear that it was not a tenable working relationship, I was given an ultimatum. I chose my actress — which I’m very happy I did. At the time, was I bummed that we weren’t able to make it work? Yes. Did information about him come to light later that made me confident we made the right decision? Yes.” Then, in a closing statement, Wilde said, ““We had to replace Shia. When he gave the ultimatum — him or Florence — I chose Florence.”
So, that’s that, and to quote LaBeouf’s current status on the situation: “it is what it is.” But Wilde tellingly didn’t mention anything about her leading lady Florence Pugh and if she and Wilde had a falling out during the film’s production. That’s the oldest rumor surrounding “Don’t Worry Darling,” and perhaps the most legitimate story, too. Wilde’s silence on the matter speaks volumes, but chances are no one will ever get the full story. Wilde and Pugh didn’t pose together on the red carpet at the film’s Venice premiere, whic added fuel to the fire, but Wilde was having none of that during the film’s Venice press conference. “Florence is a force,” said then. “As for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, the Internet feeds itself. I don’t feel the need to contribute; I think it’s sufficiently well-nourished.”
And no one should feel the need to contribute any further fodder to the “Don’t Worry Darling” rumors. These stories should die off, and the movie should speak for itself when it hits theaters tomorrow. Reviews of the film so far have been mixed, and in terms of the film’s merit, it’s critical evaluations and not gossip mongering that should deem “Don’t Worry Darling” worthwhile.