Olivia Wilde recently spoke out on the real reason why Shia LaBeouf was let go from the set of Don’t Worry Darling.
While Warner Bros studio regularly cited “scheduling conflicts” as the reason for LaBeouf’s departure from Olivia Wilde’s upcoming dystopian sci-fi thriller Don’t Worry Darling, Wilde would not allow that misinformation to persist.
In a recent interview with Variety, Wilde talked about Shia’s “combative” ethos when it comes to his work and how it was not aligning with the environment she was trying to foster on her film set.
“I say this as someone who is such an admirer of his work,” Wilde begins. “His process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions. He has a process that, in some ways, seems to require a combative energy, and I don’t personally believe that is conducive to the best performances. 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. That was my job.”
Soon after the Peanut Butter Falcon star was fired from the set, his former partner, FKA Twigs, filed for sexual battery against LaBeouf, citing “relentless abuse.”
“A lot came to light after this happened that really troubled me, in terms of his behavior,” Wilde says. “I find myself just really wishing him health and evolution because I believe in restorative justice. But for our film, what we really needed was an energy that was incredibly supportive. Particularly with a movie like this, I knew that I was going to be asking Florence to be in very vulnerable situations, and my priority was making her feel safe and making her feel supported.”
This all happened back in 2020 and led to the eventual casting of Harry Styles as Jack, who Labeouf was previously set to play. The entire sequence turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the set, who’ve had nothing but praise for Styles.
Love Film & TV?
Get the latest Film & TV news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
“I think the story as a whole attracted me to the role of Jack,” Styles told Variety in an email from Toronto, one of the stops on his 84-date Love On Tour. “It felt like an opportunity to play someone who is incredibly complex, caught between love and obsession. There were always two sides of the character to play with. It’s fun to play someone that you feel like you’re trying to work out the whole time.”
