Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh feud? Wilde says the screaming match never happened
Olivia Wilde is shutting down the long-running feud chatter, saying in a new tell-all there was no screaming match with Florence Pugh on the set of 2022’s Don’t Worry Darling.
Ah, the saga of Don’t Worry Darling—a film that caused almost as much drama behind the camera as it did on screen. If you so much as glanced at entertainment headlines in 2022, you probably caught wind of those rumours about a supposed bust-up between director Olivia Wilde and the film’s star Florence Pugh. Now, Wilde’s finally broken her silence in a new interview, and she’s not mincing her words: the alleged shouting match? Didn’t happen.
Media Circus on Set
Back when Don’t Worry Darling was gearing up for release, and honestly—let’s be real—the internet was frothing over every little leak, a report from Vulture dropped saying Wilde and Pugh had a ‘blowout argument’ during filming. Supposedly, Pugh was over Wilde’s frequent, mysterious absences on set. An anonymous 'insider' claimed Pugh had finally 'had enough'.
Olivia Wilde Sets the Record Straight
In her chat with The Cut, Wilde tackled all this tabloid fodder head-on, denying any kind of full-scale row behind the scenes. She said:
'I’ve never had a screaming match on my set. I was never not available on set. I wanted to be like, "None of this is true."'
According to Wilde, she was actually advised to keep quiet and not stir things up any more than they already were—‘Don’t say a fucking word. Just go out there and smile.’ Safe to say she wasn’t a fan of the PR strategy, and she reckons the whole episode left her with a distinctly sour taste. ‘Hollywood has robbed me of my naïveté for sure,’ Wilde explained, adding, ‘I deeply hate the feeling of being misunderstood, too.’
A Bit of Support from Jennifer Garner
Amid all the noise, Wilde turned to close friend Jennifer Garner for some perspective. Garner apparently told her to imagine being cast in an ongoing public soap opera—everyone loves putting you into a box, no matter what the reality is. Wilde’s box? She went straight from director to villain in the eyes of the press and public.
- Olivia Wilde: Director and accused villain
- Florence Pugh: Leading lady caught up in rumour mill
- Jennifer Garner: Giver of handy life advice
- Vulture & others: Fanning the flames of the 'screaming match' story
Wilde’s not pretending the whole ordeal wasn’t rough—she called the experience ‘bitter’—but, in her version of events, there were never any fireworks between her and Pugh. Simple as that.