Olivia Wilde's silence on the set of 'Don't Worry Darling' was as deafening as it was deliberate. The film's troubled history – marked by an alleged feud between Wilde and co-star Florence Pugh, not to mention a viral spat involving Harry Styles and Chris Pine that turned out to be nothing more than a misconstrued moment of method acting – had all the makings of a Hollywood soap opera.
Now, in a candid interview with The Cut, Wilde has broken her silence on the whispers of a heated argument or her alleged unavailability during production. "I have never had a screaming match on my set," she insists. "I was never not available on set." But it's what comes next that gives a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes machinations: "I wanted to be like, 'None of this is true,'" she reveals. The fact is, her silence wasn't by choice – but by design.
The studio had told her to keep her head down and smile, lest she stir up more controversy than the film itself could withstand. Wilde makes it clear that she resented being told what to do, but admits it was a hard lesson learned: "It taught me it's not the way I want to handle things."
Looking back on the 'Don't Worry Darling' press tour – which seemed more like a circus than a promotional event – it's clear that the film got lost in the headlines. From the alleged feud between Wilde and Pugh, to Styles' misinterpreted moment of intensity at the Venice Film Festival premiere (which Pine later clarified was nothing more than a misunderstanding), it was a spectacle that overshadowed the film itself.
But beneath the drama lies a deeper issue: the public's tendency to categorise women in the industry as either "villains" or "heroines", with little room for nuance. Wilde herself became a symbol of this phenomenon, reduced to a soap opera-style caricature. As she notes, "I became the full-on villain. Like Cruella." It's a sentiment that speaks volumes about the challenges faced by women in the film industry – and one that highlights the need for greater understanding and empathy.
Despite all the off-screen drama, 'Don't Worry Darling' remains a compelling watch, with standout performances from Florence Pugh, who continues to prove herself as one of British cinema's brightest stars. The film is currently available to stream in the UK on Sky Cinema and NOW – but it's Wilde's words that offer a more lasting insight into the pressures and narratives that can dominate a major cinematic release.