The upcoming Florence Pugh and Harry Styles-starring Don’t Worry Darling is making headlines, but not for the right reasons, as so much real-life controversy has overshadowed the film itself, but that might be for the best given the film’s incredibly low Rotten Tomatoes score. After the movie’s premiere, people are talking about “Spitgate” more than the actual film, and seem to be more interested in whether or not Pugh and director Olivia Wilde have a feud.
However, the drama started before the film was even being developed by New Line Cinema and continued into its production. Between being forced to cut scenes, several changes to the cast, and concerns about a sophomore slump, the film’s production has been a wild ride.
There Was A Bidding War For The Rights For Don’t Worry Darling
While many might argue that there are no original movies anymore, Don’t Worry Darling is proof that isn’t true. And not only was the movie distributed by a major studio instead of an independent one, there was an all-out bidding war for it too. According to Deadline, there were between 15-18 offers on the table for the spec script with Wilde attached to direct.
The war was won by New Line Cinema, which is a perfect home for the psychological thriller, as the studio has always been known for its unique mid-budget dramas and thrillers. However, given all of the on-set and off-set drama and the now middling reception from critics, the studios are probably aren’t too sad about losing the rights.
Olivia Wilde Was Forced To Cut Scenes From The Trailer
According to Wilde, she was forced to cut shots out of the trailer by the Motion Picture Association. Though Wilde doesn’t detail what exactly was cut, she hinted at the shots being taken from the movie’s sex scenes.
The director explained, “We still live in a really puritanical society. I do think the lack of eroticism in American film is kind of new. Then when it comes to female pleasure, it’s something that we just don’t see very often unless you’re talking about queer cinema.” The filmmaker has a point, as the association is way more strict on sex than it is on violence. However, the trailer is already fairly provocative as it is.
Shia LaBeouf Was Original Attached To Play Jack
Following all of the drama surrounding the movie, it’s common knowledge now that Shia LaBeouf was originally attached to play Jack. But he was replaced before shooting began by Styles. Why LaBeouf was replaced depends on who is asked. Wilde claims it was to protect her cast and crew and that the actor’s “combative energy” was too intense. But LaBeouf claims he quit due to a lack of rehearsal time.
Regardless of why LaBeouf was recast, it was clearly for the best when it comes to the movie’s box office performance. LeBeouf is a fairly controversial figure at the minute and trading him out for a world-famous pop star was a stroke of genius.
Olivia Wilde Originally Cast Herself In The Lead Role
In Olivia Wilde’s best movies, she has mostly played the female lead, and that was originally the case with Don’t Worry Darling too. Pugh was originally attached to play Wilde’s character, Bunny, and Wilde was originally attached to play Pugh’s character, Alice.
However, Wilde decided that it’d make more sense if the film focused on a younger couple, leading her to switch roles. On top of that, the director thought that Pugh absolutely radiated lead actor energy. The filmmaker commented, “I was just like, ‘Well, she’s extraordinary. She’s clearly the most exciting young actress working today.'”
Harry Styles Wrote A Song For The Movie In Just Five Minutes
Wilde wouldn’t be taking full advantage of Styles in a lead role if she didn’t have him sing. In the new movie, there’s a “trigger song” for Alice that was entirely written by the pop star, and it’s a key motif that recurs throughout the film.
According to Wilde, Styles wrote the song in five minutes. The director commented that after a phone conversation between the two, “Five minutes later, he sent me a demo from his piano, and it was what ended up in the film.” Wilde also noted that she didn’t actually plan to ask Styles to write the melody or lyrics and was shopping around for writers. It was actually Styles who approached Wilde about it.
Olivia Wilde’s Mood Board Was Full Of ’50s Icons
As most filmmakers do, Wilde pulled from several other movies to find inspiration for the 2022 movie’s tone and aesthetic. And she revealed to Instagram a mood board that she had put together with photos of Styles, Pugh, and tons of 1950s icons, including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Brigitte Bardot.
However, though the film looks fantastic when it comes to the cinematography, Wilde’s focus on the style of the movie is partly why it has been slammed by critics. While some movies perfectly pull off being style over substance, Don’t Worry Darling seems to have leaned so far into paying homage to the ’50s that it looks like a fashion catalog.
Harry Styles Felt Vulnerable When Shooting The Sex Scenes
Don’t Worry Darling doesn’t shy from its sex scenes, and Wilde has mentioned in several interviews that she wants to shoot sequences that show female pleasure, as so few sex scenes in movies depict that. And Styles felt vulnerable when shooting those scenes.
The pop star noted that it isn’t just sex scenes but acting as a whole that makes him feel uncomfortable, explaining, “Acting is kind of very uncomfortable at times. I think you have to trust a lot. It requires a lot of trust if you want to give it everything.” He’s in another upcoming movie, My Policeman, which is another release that sees the pop star in some vulnerable scenes, and he added, “There’s no peen in the final cut. There’s bum bum…I don’t think the peen was intended to be involved.”
Olivia Wilde Was Terrified About A Sophomore Slump
As any director who has a great directorial debut under their belt would be, Wilde was terrified about making a sophomore slump. Her first movie, Booksmart, is an incredible coming-of-age comedy that amazed both critics and general audiences, so there were high expectations for Don’t Worry Darling.
Wilde explained that she even spoke to Jordan Peele about it, who had the same problem when following up Get Out with Us, which ended up being great but was ruined by an underwhelming final twist. The director mentioned, “I asked Jordan Peele ‘How terrifying was it to make your second film?’ And he said, ‘Oh, so terrifying, so much scarier than the first.'”
Florence Pugh Has An Issue With The Movie’s Focus On Sex Scenes
While Wilde has made it clear that sex is an important part of the movie, Pugh isn’t as interested in the aspect of the movie and doesn’t like the focus on those scenes. Pugh was probably happy that the shots of more sex in the trailer were cut given her comments. The actor explained “When it’s reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it’s not why we do it. It’s not why I’m in this industry.”
The sex scenes seem intrinsically tied to the movie’s themes, but some audiences might be distracted from the story or the acting given that it’s two starry young actors on screen, and it’s easy to see where Pugh is coming from.
Harry Styles Shocked The Cast And Crew With One Scene
Many critics have mentioned that Pugh carries the movie on her shoulders and have called into question all of the other actor’s performances, most notably Styles’. However, Wilde explained that he left the cast and crew stunned after improvising in one scene.
A scene called for Styles to chant a creepy slogan with Chris Pine in front of a crowd, and Styles ran into the crowd screaming and roaring like a “wild animal.” It calls to memory a similar scene where Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) chants in The Wolf of Wall Street, which felt raw, primitive, and involved Belfort’s entire staff. But people will have to wait until Don’t Worry Darling’s September 23 release date to see if it’s as thrilling.
