

Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh with Shia LaBeouf Shutterstock (3)
The drama continues. Olivia Wilde praised Florence PughPress event Don’t Worry Darling — but she refused to answer questions about Shia LaBeouf.
“Florence is a force,” the BooksmartDirector, 38, said of Little WomenStar, 26, during a Monday press conference at Venice International Film Festival on September 5. “We are so grateful she’s able to make it tonight [for the red carpet] despite being in production on Dune.”
Wilde’s answer came in response to a question about whether she could “clear the air” regarding rumors that she and Pugh have had a falling out since production ended on Don’t Worry DarlingThe film will be in theaters later in the month.
“I know as a director how disruptive it is to lose an actor even for a day, so I’m very grateful to her and to [Dune director Denis Villeneuve] for helping us,” the HouseMonday added alum. “And we’ll get to celebrate her work tonight. I can’t say how honored I am to have her as our lead. She’s amazing.”
The former O.C. star added: “As for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, the internet feeds itself. I don’t feel the need to contribute; I think it’s sufficiently well-nourished.”
The day before the conference, DeadlineAccording to reports, the Midsommar actress would miss the event because she had to fly in from Romania, where she’d been filming the Dune sequel. She was, however, set to attend the film’s premiere on Monday before returning to the DuneSet on Tuesday, September 6.

Olivia Wilde arrives at the Casino for the ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Photocall during the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 5, 2022 in Venice, Italy. Marechal Aurore/ABACA/Shutterstock
While Wilde was happy to praise Pugh at the press conference, she wouldn’t address rumors about LaBeouf, 36, who exited Don’t Worry DarlingAugust 2020. A journalist asked about the TransformersMonday star, the Drinking Buddies actress reportedly said that the question had already been answered because “it’s on the internet.”
In a Variety cover story last month, the New York native claimed that she fired LaBeouf from the film because his “process” wasn’t safe for others on the set. The Even StevensThe alum however, denied her story, telling the outlet that the film was canceled by him because he did not have enough rehearsal time.
The Peanut Butter FalconActor sent Variety emails he claimed to have exchanged with Wilde, in which he wrote: “You and I both know the reasons for my exit. I quit your film because your actors and I couldn’t find time to rehearse.”
He went on to allege that his firing “never took place,” adding: “And while I fully understand the attractiveness of pushing that story because of the current social landscape, the social currency that brings. It is not the truth.”
LaBeouf also included an email from Wilde, along with a video Wilde allegedly sent to him in August 2020. That was the same month that he left. Don’t Worry DarlingAnnounced. “I feel like I’m not ready to give up on this yet, and I too am heartbroken and I want to figure this out,” the Richard Jewell star said in the clip, seemingly referring to LaBeouf’s decision to leave the project.
A confidential insider revealed this information earlier in the month Us WeeklyThey had a passionate relationship from the beginning. “Olivia and Shia just never saw eye to eye,” the source explained. “She felt he was a loose cannon and he thought she was on an ego trip.”
Don’t Worry DarlingFilms in theaters Friday, September 23.