Olivia Wilde Fans The Flames Of Her Feud With Shia LaBeouf

The drama surrounding "Don't Worry Darling" seemingly started long before production began. Shia LaBeouf was originally cast as Jack Chambers, per NME, who's now played by Harry Styles. It was originally unclear why Styles took over the role, but Wilde ultimately told Variety that she had to fire LaBeouf due to his "combative energy" that didn't mesh well with her production. The film's studio originally cited LaBeouf exited the film due to "scheduling conflicts," but Wilde insisted that wasn't the case. She told Variety, "I believe that creating a safe, trusting environment is the best way to get people to do their best work. Ultimately, my responsibility is to the production and to the cast to protect them."

These comments from Wilde ignited an overwhelming firestorm on social media. It didn't take long for LaBeouf to address the director's claims. He told Variety that he quit "Don't Worry Darling" due to scheduling conflicts and that Wilde's claim that he was fired for his behavior was simply false. LaBeouf said, "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 reportedly provided Variety with email and text receipts of their conversations revolving around his exit.

At the Venice Film Festival press conference, Wilde awkwardly dodged questions about LaBeouf and seemingly wanted to avoid the drama surrounding that narrative going forward, per People. However, she recently opened up about the subject again.

It appeared that Olivia Wilde was leaving the drama surrounding Shia LaBeouf in the past. However, she recently made it clear that she's sticking to her story despite the actor claiming she has been spreading lies. During an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Wilde insisted that she did, in fact, fire LaBeouf. The "Don't Worry Darling" director told Colbert, "We had to replace Shia. He is a fantastic actor, but it wasn't gonna work." She added, "When he gave me the ultimatum of, you know, him or Florence, I chose Florence." Wilde hinted that LaBeouf and the film's leading lady, Florence Pugh, did not get along on-set and that she ultimately had to choose between the two actors. Wilde revealed, "I chose my actress — which I'm very happy I did."

Wilde has had nothing but positive things to say about Pugh, despite rumors circulating that the two have not seen eye-to-eye for quite some time. According to Page Six, Pugh was a huge fan of Wilde and her work before they worked together on "Don't Worry Darling." However, Wilde's romance with Harry Styles and PDA on-set did not sit well with her. Although Wilde claims there's bad blood, the internet can't stop talking about it. Pugh even skipped the New York City premiere of the film due to "scheduling conflicts," according to Rolling Stone, which caused fans' antennas to go up.