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Olivia Wilde, 38, and Shia LaBeouf, 36, have shared conflicting stories regarding Shia’s exit from Don’t Worry Darling. Olivia told Variety in August that she fired Shia from the film, and replaced him with her now-boyfriend Harry Styles, because of Shia’s work style on set. In response, Shia shared alleged emails and texts between himself and Olivia, which show the Holes actor telling Olivia that he was quitting her film due to lack of rehearsal time. He also released a video to Variety that features Olivia begging Shia to stay on the film. Olivia addressed all this drama with Shia in a new interview with Vanity Fair, published on September 8.
“This issue is so much more nuanced than can be explained in private texts released out of context,” the director said. “All I’ll say is he was replaced, and there was no going forward with him. I wish him the best in his recovery,” Olivia added. She also confirmed that Harry, 28, was her top choice to replace Shia as the lead male role in her movie.
Regarding Shia’s exit, a source told VF that the actor was indeed frustrated with the lack of rehearsal time, while his co-star Florence Pugh, 26, allegedly didn’t like his “intensity” when they were shooting the psychological thriller. So, Shia allegedly told Olivia she had to choose between him or Florence, and Olivia choose the latter. Olivia allegedly let Shia think he quit the movie to “spare” his “ego.”
Also, the source clarified that the video Shia released, where Olivia begs Shia to stay on the movie, and refers to Florence as “Miss Flo,” was shot BEFORE Florence allegedly expressed her “discomfort” with Shia. After Shia left Don’t Worry Darling, he was accused of physical and emotional abuse by two women, including his ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs.
There’s also been rumors that Olivia and Florence didn’t get along on set, possibly because of Olivia’s relationship with Harry. But the Booksmart director shot down those rumors in her VF interview. She told the publication, “Every day I was in awe of her, and we worked very well together. Florence’s performance in this film is astounding. It’s just baffling to me that the media would rather focus on baseless rumors and gossip, thereby overshadowing her profound talent. She deserves more than that. As does the movie, and everyone who worked so hard on it.”