Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling has been a long-anticipated film since it was announced back in July of 2019. Starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, this horror/thriller is centered around Pugh’s character, Alice, as she grows suspicious of her 1950’s “utopia” and her husband Jack’s (Styles) involvement in it all. Though the movie itself has the capability to generate lots of attention, most of the buzz surrounding the film had nothing to do with the storyline at all.

Originally, actor Shia LaBeouf was hired for the role of Jack which was announced in April of 2020. All of LaBeouf’s relation to the film however was quickly diminished when he left the project later that year due to what was originally said to be scheduling conflicts. However, there has been controversy surrounding the real reason for his departure.

Soon after, Styles appeared on the scene. Styles and Wilde immediately hit it off and were confirmed to be dating in early 2021 when they were seen holding hands at Styles’ manager’s wedding. This relationship was said to have caused tension and awkwardness on set, especially between Wilde and Pugh.

Though there have been many rumors of a rift between the leading lady and director, they haven’t personally spoken out about these allegations, and have neither confirmed nor denied anything. Many people have found “evidence” of this rift in Pugh’s lack of promotional posts on social media, especially considering her initial excitement. In April of 2020, Pugh posted a screenshot of the confirmed cast of Don’t Worry Darling on Instagram, with a caption saying, “@oliviawilde just tagged me in a picture *gasp no.1* @oliviawilde casted me in a film *gasp no.2* @oliviawilde is my idol and allowed me to be a part of this fecking incredible cast. Shia?!? Chris?!? *gasp no. 3*”

If the drama beforehand wasn’t enough, the premiere at The Venice Film Festival pushed it over the top. From spitting allegations to certain cast members avoiding each other, it’s safe to say that this event was quite the spectacle.

The premiere was one of the few press events that Pugh took part in, and we didn’t see many if any interactions between Pugh and Wilde, as well as Pugh and Styles. Pugh was however seen sharing many friendly conversations with other cast members including, Gemma Chan, Nick Kroll, and Chris Pine.

One of the most well-known occurrences that happened at the premiere was the Pine/Styles spit incident. When the time for the screening came, there was a split second caught on camera where it appeared that Styles spit in Pine’s lap, but these claims were promptly shut down by both Styles’ and Pine’s representation. This incident was later joked about by Styles at his following concert at Madison Square Garden. “It is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful to be back here, I just popped over to Venice to spit on Chris Pine, but fear not, we’re back!” Styles said.

Aside from all the drama, the cast and crew were able to make a thoroughly enjoyable theater experience. The storyline kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time, and I left the theater dazed. When I got home, I immediately bought a ticket to see it again the following week. The cinematography alone was top tier and even people who are not fans of Wilde, have to give her credit for her amazing direction.

To no surprise to anyone, Pugh was incredible in this film. She made you feel every single one of Alice’s emotions as Alice herself felt them which made the experience just that much more immersive. As for Styles, since the first clip from the film was released, people have been speculating about his acting abilities and I can certainly say that I was beyond impressed by his portrayal of Jack.

Overall, every single aspect of this film was entertaining, even the creation process.