Actress Olivia Wilde made her directorial debut with the acclaimed comedy Booksmart, which became a star making moment for stars Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein. She's back behind the camera in the upcoming psychological thriller Don't Worry Darling, which features Harry Styles and Florence Pugh in some steamy scenes. Although Wilde and Pugh's conflicting comments about the movie's sex scenes have some people pointing to those feud rumors again.
The contents of Don't Worry Darling are largely being kept under wraps, with the trailer revealing the intriguing limited footage from the thriller. But one thing is clear: Florence Pugh and Harry Styles are going to have some wild sex scenes, with some of the buzz surrounding the movie happening for that very reason. And the marketing of said sex scenes are rumored to be the cause of a feud between Pugh and Olivia Wilde. The filmmaker recently spoke to her approach to sex in the movie, revealing to Vogue show she asked "why isn't there any good sex scenes in movies anymore?" prior to creating the project. And related to the already infamous sex scene and simulated cunnilingus in the movie, she said how she wants the audience to "realize how rarely they see female hunger, and specifically this type of female pleasure" in film.
This comes just shortly after Florence Pugh offered her own two cents about how much focus people are putting on Don't Worry Darling's sex scenes, rather than the movie itself. While she expected Harry Styles' casting to put more of a spotlight on the project, the Oscar nominated actress lamented about this fixation with love scenes. She said:
When it’s reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it’s not why we do it. It’s not why I’m in this industry. Obviously, the nature of hiring the most famous pop star in the world, you’re going to have conversations like that. That’s just not what I’m going to be discussing because [this movie is] bigger and better than that. And the people who made it are bigger and better than that.
Some fans found this to be mixed messaging about just how important sex is throughout the runtime of Don't Worry Darling. And as such, folks online are wondering if perhaps the rumors of their feud had some weight to it. After all, Pugh hasn't done a ton of promotion for the movie. And when she does, there hasn't been much conversation about her collaborative relationship with Olivia Wilde. One such person posted their thoughts on Twitter, sharing:
Florence speaking out on dont worry darling and dragging olivia wilde in the process bc she is marketing it around sex when thats not what the movie is actually about is just chefs kiss! thank your for your service flo a real trooper 🫡August 16, 2022
Of course, the marketing is one just one aspect of the rumored feud between Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde. The rumors first started when it was revealed that the filmmaker and Harry Styles had a romantic relationship-- possibly adding tension to the set. That's yet another reason why folks are talking about Don't Worry Darling, other than the actual contents of the upcoming movie. Another fan posted on social media about the possible tension between the two artists, saying:
“florence is not shading olivia wilde” are we sure? cause seems like she is pic.twitter.com/IUW2Ujh6nVAugust 16, 2022
It should be interesting to see how this situation shakes out as Don't Worry Darling gets closer to its release. Marketing and press opportunities for the project should start coming in, presumably pairing Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde again in the flesh. We'll just have to see if these rumors continue or if the two are able to squash them. Although this isn't the only interpersonal drama surrounding the new movie, as Wilde was served custody papers by Jason Sudeikis while presenting at CinemaCon.
Don't Worry Darling will hit theaters on September 23rd. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
