KiKi Layne Claims ‘Most’ of Her Scenes Were Cut From ‘Don’t Worry Darling’: 5 Things to Know About the Actress

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KiKi Layne Claims 'Most' of Her Scenes Were Cut From 'Don't Worry Darling': 5 Things to Know About the Actress

The drama continues. Don't Worry Darling star KiKi Layne claimed the majority of her scenes didn't make the film's final cut. The 30-year-old actress celebrated the release of the Olivia Wilde-directed thriller via Instagram after it hit theaters on Friday, September 23. "The best thing about #DontWorryDarling is that I was lucky enough to meet Ari'el Stachel," she captioned a handful of photos with her costar, revealing that the twosome sparked a romance on set. "They cut us from most of the movie, but we thriving in real life. Love you Ari ❤️❤️❤️❤️." Layne added the hashtags "#GotMyCheck #GotMyMan #EverythingHappensforaReason" to her Sunday, September 25, upload. Stachel gushed over his girlfriend in the comments, writing, "My love. You are a queen and your talent shines so bright. I was thirsty then and I'm thirsty now ❤️❤️❤️." [jwplayer uAy7R1Z0-zhNYySv2] The twosome star as Margaret and Ted Watkins, a couple who live near Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack Chambers (Harry Styles) in the picturesque town of Victory, California. The women of Victory are encouraged to stay home — and stay out of their husbands' business — but Margaret broke the rules by going to the desert where the Victory Project's headquarters are located. She brought her young son with her, but he did not return. Margaret becomes a social outcast, and Dr. Collins (Timothy Simons) attempts to prescribe her medication to help with her emotional outbursts. When Alice begins to experience hallucinations of her own after wandering out to headquarters, she gets an eerie phone call from Margaret, who she later sees falling off the roof of her home. (Neither Jack nor Dr. Collins believe Alice's story.) Layne's post raised eyebrows among fans, who have been following along with the alleged behind-the-scenes drama long before Don't Worry Darling premiered. The film has been at the center of controversy for several months as rumors of tension between Wilde, 38, and Pugh, 26, grew more rampant after the Little Women actress declined to do press for the movie. Before Don't Worry Darling premiered at the 79th Venice Film Festival earlier this month, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that Wilde and Pugh "had several disagreements personally and professionally" while working on the film. Wilde both starred in and directed the psychological thriller, and she began dating now-boyfriend Styles, 27, while the movie was in production. Following a messy press cycle, the film's production company weighed in on the offscreen drama. "We are so proud of the work that Olivia Wilde has done making this incredibly beautiful and entertaining film and look forward to collaborating with her again," Warner Bros. co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy noted in a statement on Friday, denying speculation that the Booksmart director and Pugh clashed on set. "The studio is very grateful and appreciative of the tireless support by Olivia in bringing her vision to life from production through release. Any suggestion of conflict between the studio and Olivia is simply not true." Wilde, for her part, previously shut down "the absurdity" of the rumors in her recent Variety cover story, telling the outlet in August that "there is absolutely no validity" to the feud allegations. Scroll down to learn more about Don't Worry Darling actress KiKi Layne:

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1. What Was Her Breakout Role?

While Layne's first acting role was in the pilot of Lena Waithe's The Chi in 2015, her major breakout didn't come for another three years. Layne joined Stephan James, Colman Domingo and more in Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk.

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2. Who Is KiKi Layne Dating?

Layne sparked a romance with costar Stachel on the set of Don't Worry Darling. She was previously linked to Michael B. Jordan in 2019 when the pair were spotted getting cozy at a Sundance Film Festival party in Utah.

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3. Has She Been Nominated for Awards?

Her performance in If Beale Street Could Talk was met with critical acclaim, earning her two NAACP Image Award nominations in 2019: Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture. She also earned a nod for Best Breakthrough Actor at the Gotham Awards for the same film.

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4. What Was Her Favorite Childhood Film?

In 2018, Layne told Vanity Fair that she "was always acting" as a kid — partially due to her love of The Lion King. "I used to watch it every day and create these extravagant stories with my Barbies and stuffed animals," she said. "My dad says I would say the entire movie out loud, and it's still the one VHS that I have. I even had a drawing of Simba and Mufasa at my last place — I don't know if I'm too old for that."

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5. Where Is KiKi Layne From?

The Native Son star is from Cincinnati. She attended a performing arts high school before getting her BFA in acting from DePaul University.