The spit seen around the world? Don’t Worry Darling originally stirred up interest in its mysterious plot — but it was the behind-the-scenes drama that became an even bigger topic of conversation between fans and cast members alike.
In September 2022, the movie’s promotional tour left fans with questions after Florence Pugh opted out of doing press at Venice Film Festival amid rumors of tension between her and Olivia Wilde. After arriving to the event from the Dune 2 set, Pugh skipped interviews and reunited with her costars on the red carpet.
At the time, Wilde attempted to shut down rumors of a rift, telling reporters, “Florence is a force, and we are so grateful that she’s able to make it tonight despite being in production on Dune. I know, as a director, how disruptive it is to lose an actor even for a day, so I’m very grateful to her, to [Dune director] Denis Villeneuve for helping us. And we’re really thrilled we’ll get to celebrate her work tonight. I can’t say enough how honored I am to have her as our lead. She’s amazing in the film.”
The speculation took an unexpected turn when a now-viral video from the film’s screening seemingly showed Harry Styles spitting on Chris Pine. The Princess Diaries 2 star shut down the claims, with his rep telling Us Weekly in a statement, “This is a ridiculous story — a complete fabrication and the result of an odd online illusion that is clearly deceiving and allows for foolish speculation.”
Pine’s costars, however, had fun with the rumors when Nick Kroll joked that he planned the entire situation for attention.
“The movie, if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s a thriller, and I think the less you know about the movie going in the better so that when you’re watching it it’s all new and surprising,” he told Jimmy Fallon during an interview that same month. “So I decided let’s make a lot of buzz around the film but not about the film itself, right? I’m the puppeteer.”
The comedian, who played Wilde’s onscreen husband in the thriller, previously kept the mood light while promoting Don’t Worry Darling. After his appearance at the Venice Film Festival, Kroll offered a glimpse at his experience.
“POV: pulling up to the @dontworrydarlin premiere as just a supporting actor,” he said in a TikTok video which showed him driving into the event while fans stood outside. In the clip, the actor can be heard joking, “Not who you want, ladies. Sorry, not Harry, not Olivia, not Florence. … Hi, you don’t know me. Nope, nope, nope.”
While heading to the press conference, Kroll and costar Sydney Chandler continued to find the humor as onlookers peered into the car windows. “But hey, [we’re] Nick and Syd!” she added. “Pretty f–king cool. You don’t know [us], but we’re pretty f–king cool.”
Scroll down for a breakdown of how the Don’t Worry Darling cast addressed spitgate:
