Photo: Quinn Jeffrey/Shutterstock/YouTube/Warner Bros.
When will it end?
By Nia Tipton — Written on Sep 19, 2022
A crew member who worked on the set for Olivia Wilde's upcoming film 'Don't Worry Darling' claims that there was no on-set drama after weeks of rumors about tension between Wilde and Florence Pugh.
Matthew Libatique, 54, who worked on the movie as a cinematographer, appeared on an episode of The Hollywood Reporter's "Behind the Screen" podcast where he was asked to speak about the drama between Wilde, who directed the film, and Pugh, who stars as the lead role.
The 'Don't Worry Darling' cinematographer claimed the drama is 'untrue.'
"I have to say this was probably the most harmonious set I've ever been on," said Libatique, who first met Wilde while working on "Cowboys and Aliens" in 2009.
"Olivia built a team that believed in her and she believed in each and everybody on the set."
Libatique also condemned the rumors surrounding the drama about the film. "When I hear that there are rumors of acrimony on the set — I reject it. It wasn’t apparent at all, to be honest."
“From my standpoint, the stories are completely untrue when it comes to being on set,” he reiterated, adding: “I can’t speak to post-production at all.”
Libatique, who has worked on high-profile films such as "Black Swan," "Requiem for a Dream," and Bradley Cooper's "A Star Is Born," did acknowledge that there could've been drama between Wilde, Pugh, and the other actors, but it must've happened after he'd left.
"Whatever happened, it happened way after I left … I was never witness to anything. And I didn’t feel anything. You know, you get a feeling that there might be something going on and I didn’t feel anything,” he explained.
He also praised Wilde, saying that the 'Booksmart' director "believed in each and everybody on the set."
'Don't Worry Darling' has widely been reported to be a tension-filled project.
Rumors surrounding the behind-the-scenes drama of 'Don't Worry Darling' started after fans began noticing that Pugh was not promoting the film on her social media accounts.
It was later reported that Wilde and Pugh were allegedly feuding due to Wilde's romance with Harry Styles, who stars opposite Pugh in the film.
“I can tell you for a fact that Flo seeing Olivia and Harry all over each other on set did not go down well as Olivia was still with Jason when she first hooked up with Harry,” a source told Page Six.
The rumors only heightened after Shia LaBeouf, who was originally supposed to play the role later given to Styles, came out and rebuffed Wilde's claims that she'd fired him.
“You and I both know the reasons for my exit. I quit your film because your actors and I couldn’t find time to rehearse.”
It all seemed to come to a head during the film's premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where Pugh arrived late and missed the press conference, and a clip of Styles allegedly spitting on costar Chris Pine went viral, further fueling speculation that there was a rift between the stars of the film.
Wilde also denied rumors surrounding her film while at a press conference during the film festival.
"I can't say enough how honored I am to have [Florence Pugh] as our lead. As for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, I mean, the internet feeds itself. I don't feel the need to contribute, I think it's sufficiently well nourished."
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.