The Real Reason Behind Florence Pugh & Olivia Wilde Feud Finally Revealed
An insider has shed light on the conflict.
Arguments and bickering are the spice of life, but it's much more exciting to watch someone fight than actually be part of a conflict. That's certainly a reason why people enjoy following celebrity feuds.
The decades-long conflict between Sex and the City's Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall is perhaps the best known celebrity beef, but there are also many recent and equally famous examples. The bad blood between Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde was well documented in 2022, and now we finally know where it stemmed from.
Wilde and Pugh collaborated on Don't Worry Darling, which premiered in 2022 and was not well received by either critics or viewers, despite making considerable profit at the box office. Starring Pugh, Harry Styles, Gemma Chan, and Chris Pine, the Olivia Wilde-directed movie obviously boasted enough famous faces to attract decent viewership. However, it turns out the A-listers could not coexist peacefully on set.
Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde's romance was extensively reported at that time: the actor and director met on the movie set and hit it off right away. But while the world was fascinated by their relationship, the cast of Don't Worry Darling suffered because of it, as both Styles and Wilde would leave the production without warning and not show up for a long time.
During the director's absence, Florence Pugh and cinematographer Matthew Libatique had to step in Wilde's shoes to keep the production going. And when she eventually reappeared on set, Olivia never acknowledged her team's help in directing the movie, which drove Pugh mad, an anonymous producer reported.
'On the days Wilde disappeared, Florence and Matthew were in charge, but I'd say it was more Matthew who kept the shoot rolling. They couldn't really afford to have the movie shut down, so he tried to follow Olivia's vision as much as he could. Once Olivia got back on set, as if nothing had happened, that's when Pugh lost it on her,' they shared with World of Reel.
The fact that Don't Worry Darling was in part directed by its cinematographer and a lead star is certainly surprising, and it's no wonder Pugh took offense at Wilde for not recognizing her and Libatique's efforts. It's not clear whether the cinematographer holds a grudge against the director as well, but we hope that Olivia will find the strength to apologize to everyone for her strange behavior, putting an end to the ugly feud.
Source: World of Reel.