Don’t Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde teases an intense performance from star Harry Styles during one particular scene of the psychological thriller. Slated for a September 23rd release in the U.S., Wilde’s upcoming film features Florence Pugh and Harry Styles in the lead roles. Pugh and Styles will portray Alice and Jack, a young couple in the 50s who are very much in love. They live in Victory, California, which is a company town owned by the company Jack works for. As Alice tries to learn more about her husband’s mysterious work, tensions rise within the community and threaten their utopian existence.
After the success of Wilde’s critically acclaimed directorial debut Booksmart, Don’t Worry Darling was announced in August 2019 and bid on by 18 studios. New Line Cinema, a subsidiary of Warner Bros, eventually acquired the project and started production. Though Shia LaBeouf was the first cast in the role of Jack, he ultimately dropped out of the film, and Styles took his place. Styles’ casting was announced in September 2020. Following the success of his performance in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, audiences look forward to seeing the singer-songwriter in a leading role.
Wilde discussed the musician turned actor’s performance in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. According to Wilde, one Styles scene “left us all in tears.” She refers to a moment when Styles’ character Jack receives a promotion during the company gala. See what she had to say below:
“It’s a strange scene, full of fascist references, and a disturbing amount of male rage. The scene called for him to stand onstage with Frank (Chris Pine) and chant their creepy slogan, ‘Whose world is it? Ours!’ over and over again. Dark as hell. But Harry took it to another level. He was so fully in the moment, he began screaming the lines to the crowd, in this primal roar, that was way more intense than anything we expected from the scene. The camera operator followed him as he paced around the stage like a kind of wild animal. We were all gobsmacked at the monitor. I think even Harry was surprised by it. Those are the best moments for an actor — when you’re completely outside your body.”
Wilde’s report of Styles’ acting capability bodes well for the new film. Styles has had plenty of experience in the spotlight as a boy band turned solo pop star, but his acting credits remain light. His stint in Dunkirk was met with acclaim, and his appearance in Marvel’s Eternals was hyped up despite proving to be a mere post-credits cameo. Though Kevin Feige has teased a more significant role for Styles in the MCU’s future, fans were disappointed with the brief showing. Styles is also starring in the upcoming period film My Policeman, showing a trend in his film projects. Based on Wilde’s comments, Styles has the required acting prowess to portray an unstable youth from another time and even outshine veteran actor Chris Pine.
With plenty of upcoming projects and a wildly successful musical career, Styles is just getting started when it comes to his burgeoning career. Don’t Worry Darling will premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival before its theater release, so the reviews of Styles’ performance in the thriller film aren’t far off. Fans of Styles can also catch him in My Policeman, debuting October 21st, and reportedly in a future MCU project as the Eternal, Eros.
Key Release Date
Don’t Worry Darling
Release Date:2022-09-23
