By 8am on Monday, dozens of Harry Styles fans were camped outside the theater where the premiere was to take place that night, and excitement was high for the arrival of the pop star whose unearthly fame and following may be all the rage by Timothée Chalamet. Friday looks downright picturesque. Many eyes were also on the film’s press conference, with the hope that reports of behind-the-scenes tension with star Florence Pugh would be addressed or clarified. Wilde, before the premiere, said she did not want to contribute to the “endless tabloid gossip” and “noise”. “The Internet feeds itself,” Wilde said. “I don’t need to contribute, I think he’s very well fed.” Pugh is in the middle of production on “Dune 2,” a huge blockbuster (also a Warner Bros. joint) and is expected to return immediately after her Venice duties. Although starring in the film, she did not attend the press conference as her flight had not yet landed. “Florence is a force and we’re so thankful she’s able to make it tonight,” Wilde said. “I know as a director how annoying it is to lose an actor even for a day.” Behind-the-scenes drama rarely extends beyond insider industry gossip, but the question of what exactly went into the making of “Don’t Worry Darling” has become a source of worldwide intrigue. The lack of clarity about everything from Shia LaBeouf’s early exit from the film to Pugh’s perceived lack of public support for the project on her social media accounts has been on TikTok and Twitter for some time now, and then promoted by a report in the Hollywood newsletter. Puck, citing various unnamed studio and production sources. Wilde, for her part, was anything but intuitive about her lead role. In an interview with the Associated Press he spoke at length about Pugh’s extraordinary talent, saying that what she did with the role was “absolutely brilliant” and that the character of Alice is a “heroine for the ages”. However, questions remain as to why Pugh hasn’t posted much about the film on her Instagram. He didn’t hype the trailer, nor did he say anything about the Venice entry. It’s worth noting that Pugh’s “Dune 2” co-star Chalamet had a similarly short stay in Venice for his film “Bones and All.” It’s likely the only appearance he’ll make on behalf of this film, but no one wrote headlines about Chalamet “limiting” his press commitments. Wilde herself also became popular in the tabloids after the paparazzi caught her off-screen relationship with Styles. And then there was the CinemaCon moment, in which Wilde received custody papers from her ex, Jason Sudeikis, during a presentation about her film on stage in front of thousands of industry professionals and theater owners. Then, in the last few weeks, all the little threads seemed to catch fire at once. Much of it was fueled by LaBeouf, who came out of the woodwork to dispute a two-year narrative that he had been fired from the project. Ultimately, the role went to Styles. Wilde, in a Variety cover story, is not directly mentioned as having fired him. She offered: “His process was not conducive to the ethos I require in my productions. It has a process that somehow seems to require a combative energy and I personally don’t think it’s conducive to the best performances.” In response, LaBeouf sent private emails, text messages and videos to Variety to prove his case that he did indeed quit due to a lack of rehearsal time. The video message, in which he tries to convince LaBeouf to stay on as Jack, was subsequently leaked online in which Pugh calls himself “Miss Flo”. The press conference moderator cut off a reporter who tried to ask about LaBeouf, saying that Wilde had already answered that in her comment about “tabloid gossip” and noise. LaBeouf, who will go to court next year over allegations of abuse by his ex, FKA twigs, also happens to be in Venice this year with the movie “Padre Pio.” The press conference stuck to the themes of the film, a mid-century psychological thriller about a perfect couple, Alice (Pugh) and her husband Jack (Styles) who live in an experimental community in the desert. “We were really interested in the kind of problematic nature of nostalgia itself,” Wilde said. “In this film everything is a metaphor… everything that is beautiful is also vicious. This is by design.” The film is playing out of competition at the festival ahead of its September 23 release.
Follow AP film writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr
For more on the Venice Film Festival, visit: www.apnews.com/VeniceFilmFestival
