While Don’t Worry Darling is about to release, Olivia Wilde had to make tough decisions behind the scenes, like firing Shia LaBeouf. Initially, he had the role of Jack, who Harry Styles played. Due to scheduling conflicts, the Fury actor took the part but soon was let go. The studio said it was due to scheduling, but the director-turned-actor revealed the truth in an interview with Variety. At the end of the day, it came down to “ethos” on how a set environment should be for its cast and crew.
For Olivia Wilde, it is about making a “safe, trusting environment” when she is at the helm of a project, like her previous film Booksmart. To her, this is the way to “get people to do their best work.” For her, her responsibility and job are to “protect” the people on her set, which tracks as she has a “no a–hole policy” when she is at the helm.
Olivia Wilde reveals why she fired Shia LaBeouf from Don’t Worry Darling
A few months after Olivia Wilde fired Shia LaBeouf, his ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs sued him for sexual battery. The following month, the actor left his agency, CAA, and went into an inpatient facility. For the Booksmart director, she found that the news “troubled” her, but she gave her well wishes for him to get better.
“I find myself just really wishing him health and evolution because I believe in restorative justice.”
When looking at what came out about the actor, Olivia Wilde feels confident in her decision. For an intense film that has vulnerable scenes, she wanted people to be safe. Specifically, she wanted her lead, Florence Pugh, to feel safe.
Olivia Wilde directs, produces, and stars in Don’t Worry Darling. Pugh and Styles lead with co-stars Chris Pine, Gemma Chan (Eternals), Kate Berlant (A League of Their Own), Nick Kroll (Big Mouth), Timothy Simons (Veep), and Sydney Chandler (Pistol). The film hits theaters on September 23.
