Olivia Wilde Denies Explosive Fight With Marvel Star Florence Pugh on ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Set

Olivia Wilde is finally addressing the long-running rumors surrounding the set of Don’t Worry Darling, denying claims that she had a heated argument with Florence Pugh while making the movie.

In a new interview with The Cut, Wilde reflected on the drama that followed the 2022 psychological thriller and said she believes the tension around the film became much bigger than what actually happened behind the scenes.

The director, who also starred in the movie, pushed back against reports that she and Pugh had a screaming fight during production.

“I have never had a screaming match on my set. I was never not available on set. I wanted to be like, ‘None of this is true,’” Wilde told The Cut.

Wilde also admitted that she wishes she had spoken out sooner when rumors about the production and her personal life started spreading. She said people involved with the movie advised her not to respond publicly at the time. “I resent that, but it taught me it’s not the way I want to handle things,” she said.

The controversy surrounding Don’t Worry Darling became one of Hollywood’s biggest talking points in 2022. While many rumors came from anonymous sources and online speculation, several events added fuel to the reports of tension between Wilde and Pugh.

One major issue involved actor Shia LaBeouf, who was originally cast as the male lead before being replaced by Harry Styles. Wilde later said she removed LaBeouf from the project because she wanted to create a safer environment on set.

However, LaBeouf denied being fired and said he left because of scheduling issues and a lack of rehearsal time. The situation became more complicated after LaBeouf shared a video that Wilde had sent him while trying to convince him to stay on the movie.

In the video, Wilde appeared to ask LaBeouf to reconsider leaving and mentioned Pugh, saying, “I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re open to giving this a shot with me, with us.”

The leaked video caused a wave of criticism because it appeared to contradict Wilde’s earlier statements about the situation. Another source of controversy was Wilde’s relationship with Harry Styles, who joined the movie after LaBeouf’s exit. During filming, Wilde and Styles began dating while Wilde was separating from actor Jason Sudeikis.

Reports later claimed that Pugh was unhappy with the situation and that Wilde’s relationship affected the production. Some sources suggested Wilde was less involved on set than expected, but Wilde has repeatedly denied those claims and called them false.

The tension continued during the movie’s promotional tour. Wilde often highlighted the film’s themes of female empowerment and its intimate scenes, while Pugh reportedly felt uncomfortable with the focus being placed mainly on that part of the movie.

In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Pugh said she was frustrated that the hard work behind the film was being reduced to discussions about its sex scenes.

The rumors reached their peak during the Venice Film Festival premiere in 2022. Pugh attended the premiere but skipped the press conference, officially because of her filming schedule for Dune: Part Two. Her limited involvement in promoting the movie only increased speculation about a disagreement with Wilde.

Throughout the controversy, Wilde continued to praise Pugh’s talent, calling her a major force in the film. However, Pugh remained mostly quiet about the situation.

Years later, Wilde’s comments show that she still wants to clear up the story surrounding Don’t Worry Darling. While many details of what happened remain debated, she insists that the dramatic reports did not match her experience on set.

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