Don't Worry, Darling Stars' Bizarre Behavior At Venice Is Raising A Lot Of Eyebrows

Film stars behaving in outlandish, weird, and eccentric ways isn't anything new — whether it's Marlon Brando's alleged stubborn attitude on "Apocalypse Now" (via "Charlie Rose") or Tom Cruise's iconic interview on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." While real-world drama can be extremely negative for a film's chances of success, it can also drum up a surprising amount of publicity for something that might have not taken the spotlight otherwise. And it's fair to say that Olivia Wilde's "Don't Worry Darling" has generated more than its fair share of headlines since it started production back in 2020.

The film follows Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack Chambers (Harry Styles) in the town of Victory, California, during the 1950s as Jack works on a mysterious project for his boss, Frank (Chris Pine). The thriller's first trailer teases that the couple's perfect lifestyle isn't all as it's made out to be as Alice starts looking into whatever it is that her husband is working on. Trouble in paradise? Well, there's plenty of drama unfolding off-screen, that's for sure.

Although Shia LeBeouf was initially set to star opposite Pugh in the role of Jack Chambers, he reportedly exited the role due to a scheduling conflict (via Deadline), with Harry Styles replacing him. The situation got a little bizarre after Variety claimed that LaBeouf was fired due to his approach, something Looper later discovered wasn't true and that it was a mutual decision.

But the "Don't Worry Darling" cast recently appeared at the Venice International Film Festival, and their collective bizarre behavior is raising a lot of eyebrows (as well as sending film Twitter into a meltdown).

With stars like Chris Pine, Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, and Gemma Chan attached, "Don't Worry Darling" was always going to get plenty of attention from theatergoers — but the drama has since escalated to new heights in Venice. It started when rumors surfaced online that Pugh had fallen out with Olivia Wilde because of the director's relationship with Styles, something Wilde later debunked in her Variety interview. The "Midsommar" and "Black Widow" alumna didn't appear at the "Don't Worry Darling" press conference because her afternoon flight from the "Dune: Part Two" Budapest set didn't arrive in time (via The Hollywood Reporter). Awkward, but believable.

But during the press conference, the moderator shut down the outlet's question to Wilde about Shia LaBeouf, stating the director had already addressed the "Internet noise." This only felt more awkward thanks to Pugh's absence. And during the film's four-minute standing ovation, Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh noted on Twitter that Pugh seemingly refused to make eye contact with her. Ouch.

But the moment that has truly taken Twitter by storm is footage of Styles supposedly spitting on Pine shortly before sitting next to the "Star Trek" actor. Yes, really. Pine instantly looks down at his legs, as if he's looking at the spit, before laughing in disbelief. It's entirely possible that Pine is just laughing at the bizarre nature of the entire situation, but still, it certainly looks like there's spit involved. Oh dear, darling.