Olivia Wilde has revealed why Harry Styles was ultimately cast in Don't Worry Darling alongside Florence Pugh after Shia LaBeouf was fired from the project.
Don't Worry Darling is directed by Wilde and tells the story of a young married couple, played by Pugh and Styles, who live in an idealistic town in the 1950s which was created by and ran by the company he works for.
Alice (Pugh) begins to worry about the mysterious nature of the company as well as Jack's (Styles) involvement on the secret 'Victory Project'.
Styles was reportedly the first choice for the role of Jack, but was initially unavailable due to a world music tour.
LaBeouf was then cast, but left the project.
“I say this as someone who is such an admirer of his work: His process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions,” she said in an email to Variety.
“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."
Around that time, LaBeouf was accused of emotional and physical abuse by former partner FKA-Twigs.
“A lot came to light after this happened that really troubled me, in terms of his behavior,” Wilde continued.
“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.
“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.”
Due the pandemic, parts of Styles' tour was cancelled which allowed him the free time to take on the role.
Don't Worry Darling trailer
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