KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 — We are definitely worried, darling.
Harry Styles’ new film, Don’t Worry Darling, has left critics and co-stars feeling otherwise as drama unfolded at the Venice International Film Festival.
Videos of bored co-stars, public kissing, and alleged spitting among the cast has set off a social media frenzy.
The romantic thriller directed by Olivia Wilde takes place in the 1950s as a young couple (played by Styles and Florence Pugh) living in a fictional suburban neighbourhood discover a deadly secret.
The film boasts stars Gemma Chan, Chris Pine, and Wilde in supporting roles.
The lead-up to its premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival was subject of many controversies mainly between Wilde, Styles, and Pugh.
In January 2021, Wilde and Styles were seen in public and rumoured to be dating after Wilde’s divorce with ex-husband Jason Sedeikis.
Wilde and Pugh meanwhile reportedly had conflicts on set during production, leading to Pugh limiting promotion as she was also filming Dune: Part Two.
The Venice fiasco
Wilde and Styles arrived at the Venice Film Festival with the rest of the cast on September 5, with Pugh noticeably absent.
During a press conference, Wilde clarified rumours of conflict between herself and Pugh.
“Florence is a force,” Wilde said.
“We are so grateful that she’s able to make it tonight despite being in production on Dune....and we’re really thrilled we’ll get to celebrate her work tonight.
“As for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, I mean, the internet feeds itself, I don’t feel the need to contribute. I think it’s sufficiently well-nourished,” the director added.
Online users were surprised at the arrival of Florence Pugh at the festival, breaking her prior stance on promotion for the film.
Venice !!! pic.twitter.com/UZFML98va9
— Florence Pugh Media (@FPDMedia) September 5, 2022
Users jokingly pointed out co-stars Pine and Chan’s bored expressions and limited answers during the conference and subsequent interviews.
Gemma Chan and Chris Pine are a whole mood pic.twitter.com/VcjHkhyV4s
— Bigger than Katie | (lime ) (@EverybodysStan) September 5, 2022
you can almost see the screams catching in his throat pic.twitter.com/AXtiPAd4zx
— anna (@romansgerri) September 5, 2022
Later as the cast sat in the screening hall, Styles allegedly spit on Pine as he was taking a seat next to him.
#HarryStyles appears to spit on Chris Pine i won’t sleep until i know the truth pic.twitter.com/wLXjIHTYgU
— JZMaclin (@Mac70J) September 6, 2022
Pine was then seen putting on sunglasses as the the lights went down.
Harry and Chris Pine during the Don’t Worry Darling screening©alexandremaras pic.twitter.com/aHkwm984qI
— 18 Months Updates (@18MonthsUpdates) September 5, 2022
The crowd gave a five-minute standing ovation after the film ended, it was cut short by Pugh leaving the cinema.
She reportedly refused to acknowledge Wilde.
Florence Pugh refuses to make eye contact with Olivia Wilde during the 4-minute #Venezia79 standing ovation for #DontWorryDarling. pic.twitter.com/Xi6lJyZHbj
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) September 5, 2022
Styles also kissed co-star Nick Kroll after Chan and Pugh hastily left their seats.
Harry Styles kisses Nick Kroll during the standing ovation for #DontWorryDarling at #Venezia79.https://t.co/Bbn8HJ4hqX pic.twitter.com/u1r0qRX0JT
— Variety (@Variety) September 5, 2022
To date, the film has received a 45 per cent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes out of 20 reviews