If you’ve been on Twitter in the last twenty-four hours, you probably have seen director Olivia Wilde’s new film Don’t Worry Darling trend, along with key actors in the movie like Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, and Harry Styles. But, in case you’re confused about what happened and what everyone is talking about when they say #spitgate or “Miss Flo” here’s a quick rundown of everything that went down leading up to the events at the world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and everything that led up to an odd press conference and premiere.
Are you ready to live the life you deserve? #DontWorryDarling
In theaters September 23. pic.twitter.com/DrFFrkernJ— Don’t Worry Darling (@dontworrydarlin) July 21, 2022
The backstory
In case you weren’t aware, Wilde has been in the middle of some drama regarding her second film’s production and casting. Before the singer Harry Styles was cast opposite Florence Pugh in the psychological thriller, Shia LaBeouf was hired for the role. This means he would have been playing Jack Chambers in the film, who is the husband of Pugh’s character Alice.
But, according to Wilde, he was let go due to his acting process not being “His process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions. He has a process that, in some ways, seems to require combative energy, and I don’t personally believe that is conducive to the best performances,” she told Variety. She continued, stating that she wanted to create a “safe and trusting” environment. After this, LeBeaouf’s ex-girlfriend accused him of sexual battery and assault, making the choice to choose another actor even more important.
here is the video of olivia telling shia she wants to work it out and that if “miss flo” could “commit” more than it could happen.
please ignore that hashtag on the video I didn’t put it there. pic.twitter.com/vAQPBqPRYE
— sophia (@hellopugh) August 26, 2022
But, after Wilde’s comment about LeBeouf came out, he stated that he actually quit, and was not removed, because they could not find time to rehearse. A video message from Wilde was then released, where she asks LeBeouf if there was any way they could work around this, and even stated the line that has now become a meme online: “You know, 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 Venice Film Festival
So, after the drama was aired online, many were very curious to see how everything would play out at the premiere and press conference at Monday’s film festival in Venice. Even so, it seems the events that played out were even more awkward and hard to watch than what people expected.
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First, despite being the lead actress in the film, she did not attend the press conference. Although Wilde said she could not attend due to her scheduling conflicts while filming in Budapest, many believed it was due to the drama that happened beforehand. When asked about her absence, Wilde praised her and confirmed “Florence is a force, and we are so grateful she’s able to make it tonight despite being in production on Dune,” referring to the fact that she would be attending the premiere.
Harry Styles, Gemma Chan, Chris Pine and Olivia Wilde arrive for the ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ press conference at #Venezia79 pic.twitter.com/iVuWjSISY7
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) September 5, 2022
“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,” she said, referring to the drama that occurred the weeks before. But, on the red carpet, many believed the tension between all of the actors felt tense. For example, although Wilde and Styles have been confirmed to be dating for some time now, the two walked the carpet separately and did not interact throughout the night. Similarly, Pugh did not interact with Styles or Wilde either.
https://twitter.com/Mac70J/status/1566958343461249024?s=20&t=zBJqiOGdrHL5CJq308Z8ag
Then, in what fans are calling “spit-gate,” a video circulating online showcases Styles sitting down next to Chris Pine, where fans believe he spits on Pine. Although not confirmed, fans detailing the accounter to swear that he made a spitting motion as he sat down and Pine looked surprised as he looked down at his pants.
Whether or not he did spit on him, the video caused more fuel to more drama surrounding the cast. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a whopping score of 46%. Although the film just premiered, many are saying it doesn’t look good, which is disappointing as many people had been looking forward to the film and the cast since it was announced.
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