In just a few weeks, Olivia Wilde and boyfriend Harry Styles will step on the red carpet at the prestigious Venice Film Festival for the world premiere of their new movie, “Don’t Worry Darling,” which she directed.
They will be joined by Styles’ co-star Florence Pugh, one of Hollywood’s brightest young things. But Hollywood is buzzing that the 26-year-old actress has fallen out with Wilde, 38, over the director hooking up with Styles.
“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,” one insider told Page Six, referring to Wilde’s ex, “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis.
The former couple — who got engaged in 2012 and share kids Otis, 8, and Daisy, 5 — announced the end of their seven-year-romance in November 2020.
At the time, sources cited Wilde’s relationship with Styles as the main reason for the split, with one insider telling Page Six that the affair with Styles, now 28, had been ongoing for a month, leaving “Saturday Night Live” vet Sudeikis distraught.
“Jason and the kids visited Olivia on set at the beginning a few times, so I think this all made people feel a little uncomfortable,” the insider said this week.
Internet sleuths certainly think something is up — finding it strange that, in an industry where stars live and die by Instagram, Pugh failed to “like” a post in which Wilde included the full official trailer for “Don’t Worry Darling” last week.
Wilde followed that up by posting a photo of Pugh with the comment: “Watching this woman work was such a f–king thrill! Cannot wait to show you more. @florencepugh@dontworrydarling.”
Pugh again was conspicuous by her silence — and the fact that, on the same day, she posted a teaser trailer for another new project, “Oppenheimer,” about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the so-called father of the atomic bomb.
It’s a subject of hot debate on social media, with one fan tweeting: “The way Florence Pugh has yet to post about don’t worry darling even though there are two trailers out for it and yet she’ll post about every single other project that she’s doing right now like what did Olivia Wilde do ????”
“i think it’s so funny how florence pugh had said NOTHING about don’t worry darling and olivia wilde keeps trying to hype her up,” tweeted another.
And noted a third Twitter user: “I need to know what Olivia Wilde did to my baby Florence Pugh on the set of DWD because my girl has been SILENT on movie updates.”
But a source told Page Six, “I heard she was already scheduled to post [about ‘Oppenheimer’] that day for some specific reason, it had nothing to do with a response to Olivia.”
“Don’t Worry Darling” is described as a tale of an unhappy 1950s housewife, played by Pugh, who discovers a disturbing truth about her idyllic life, while her loving husband, played by Styles, hides a dark secret.
On the blue carpet in support of a Tiffany & Co. opening in London this week, Pugh was asked about working with Styles. She said he was “a total professional and it was a great experience working together.”
She then spoke about the cinematography and styling — “It was a joy to walk into the hair and makeup trailer every day,” Pugh said, noting “the way that everything looks delicious and golden” — but had nothing to say about her director, Wilde.
It’s Wilde’s second film, following the success of 2019’s “Booksmart,” for which she won an Independent Spirit Award. She hired former One Direction heartthrob Styles on “Don’t Worry Darling” to replace actor Shia LaBeouf, who was caught up in a lawsuit by his former girlfriend FKA Twigs over allegations of sexual assault and “relentless” abuse. (LaBeouf has denied the claims, and the case will go before a judge next April.) Wilde famously said she had a “No A–holes” policy on set.
Wilde has further been in the headlines after being served custody papers by Sudekis while promoting “Don’t Worry Darling” in Las Vegas at CinemaCon in April, timing for which he later apologized.
Pugh is currently filming “Dune 2,” playing Princess Irulan, and another Hollywood insider told Page Six: “Florence is shooting ‘Dune’ right now and out of pocket. I’m sure she will be front and center for the [‘Don’t Worry Darling’] promo. Once the promo starts in late August, early September, I’m sure she’ll be visible.”
Reps for Styles, Wilde and Pugh were unavailable for comment.
