Actor Olivia Wilde recently broke her silence about the firing of Shia LaBeouf from her new movie, Don’t Worry Darling. The upcoming psychological thriller stars Black Widow’s Florence Pugh as Alice Chambers, a devoted 1950s housewife to Jack, played by Harry Styles. As Alice attempts to uncover the truth behind her husband’s work on the mysterious Victory Project, tensions threaten the utopian community’s very existence.
LaBeouf is no stranger to controversy, both on and off a movie set. In 2020, LaBeouf was sued by his ex-girlfriend, British musician FKA Twigs (Tahliah Debrett Barnett), for sexual assault and battery. His reckless behavior has caused multiple run-ins with law enforcement over the years. The Transformers star has also been accused of plagiarism in his short film Howard Cantour.com and graphic novels. LaBeouf was initially slated to star as Jack in Don’t Worry Darling but was dropped from the cast in late 2020 following allegations of poor performance with the cast and crew of the film.
Now, Wilde has opened up about the firing of LaBeouf from her new film, Don’t Worry Darling. In a recent interview with Variety, Wilde explained that LaBeouf’s “process” was harmful to the production. She said the actor had a “combative energy” that caused an unsafe working environment for the cast and crew. Ultimately, Wilde wanted Pugh to be as comfortable as possible on set. Read more about what the director said about LaBeouf and his removal:
“I say this as someone who is such an admirer of his work. 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 a combative energy, and I don’t personally believe that is conducive to the best performances. I believe that creating a safe, trusting environment is the best way to get people to do their best work. Ultimately, my responsibility is to the production and to the cast to protect them. That was my job.”
“A lot came to light after this happened that really troubled me, in terms of his behavior. I find myself just really wishing him health and evolution because I believe in restorative justice. But for our film, what we really needed was an energy that was incredibly supportive. Particularly with a movie like this, I knew that I was going to be asking Florence to be in very vulnerable situations, and my priority was making her feel safe and making her feel supported.”
The director’s comments indicate that the decision to remove LaBeouf was not an easy one, as she noted that she admired his past work. Removing a cherished member of any cast would be a tough choice to make. However, Wilde wanted to promote a safe set free of emotional discomfort to allow the most compelling and honest performances from the Don’t Worry Darling cast. As luck would have it, the film has seemingly benefited from Styles as a replacement, as he has since been praised for his work in film. The actor reportedly left the cast and crew stunned due to his performance during a powerful scene.
Recently, Hollywood has come under fire regarding its well-documented hostile working environments. #MeToo accusations, as was the case with producer Harvey Weinstein, abusive behavior, as reported by Ray Fischer and Gal Gadot against Joss Whedon over the Justice League (2017) reshoots, and erratic behavior from actors, as exemplified by Flash star Ezra Miller, has highlighted the importance of safety on set. Due to LaBeouf’s reported behavior and controversy in his public life, removing the actor from Don’t Worry Darling appears to have been the right decision for both the actors and Wilde.
Key Release Dates
Don’t Worry Darling
Release Date:2022-09-23
