Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh reportedly avoided each other at a pre-Oscars party on Friday night.
Amid ongoing rumours of a feud between the Don’t Worry Darling co-stars, they reportedly kept their distance from each other while attending the Creative Artists Agency’s bash.
Sources told Page Six that the actresses “definitely did not see them interact” at the star-studded event, which took place at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Los Angeles.
Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde hit up the same pre-Oscars party this weekend, but they didn't appear in a single photograph together throughout the entire evening. https://t.co/Fdax8AlIMq
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 12, 2023
Rumours of a rift between Olivia and Florence have been circulating since August, when Page Six reported that the pair allegedly fell out over the Olivia’s then-romance with Harry Styles.
Shia LaBeouf further intensified the rumours when he rebutted Olivia’s claims that she “fired” him from his role in Don’t Worry Darling.
The actor was originally cast as Jack Chambers in the film, but was later replaced by Harry.
In an interview with Variety, the director alleged she had “fired” Shia because his “combative energy” was not “conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions”.
Olivia also alleged that she knew she was “going to be asking Florence to be in vulnerable situations” and her “priority was making [Florence] feel safe and making her feel supported”.
Shia then contacted Variety to dispute Olivia’s claims, revealing that he “quit the film due to lack of rehearsal time”.
In an email Shia wrote to Olivia following her Variety interview, he said: “Firing me never took place, Olivia. And while I fully understand the attractiveness of pushing that story because of the current social landscape, the social currency that brings. It is not the truth.”
“So I am humbly asking, as a person with an eye toward making things right, that you correct the narrative as best you can. I hope none of this negatively effects [sic] you, and that your film is successful in all the ways you want it to be.”
Olivia reportedly sent a video, which has since leaked online, to the actor two days after his alleged quitting, saying: “I feel like I’m not ready to give up on this yet, and I, too, am heartbroken and I want to figure this out.”
here is the video of olivia telling shia she wants to work it out and that if “miss flo” could “commit” more than it could happen.
please ignore that hashtag on the video I didn’t put it there. pic.twitter.com/vAQPBqPRYE
— sophia (@hellopugh) August 26, 2022
Seemingly referencing his co-star Florence, she reportedly continued: “You know, I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re open to giving this a shot with me, with us.”
“If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace… and I respect your point of view, I respect hers… but if you guys can do it, what do you think? Is there hope? Will you let me know?”
At the time, Florence wasn’t promoting Don’t Worry Darling on social media like the rest of her co-stars, causing fans to further speculate that she had fallen out with director Olivia.
Additionally, Showbiz Galore reported that the former One Direction star was paid nearly three times as much as Florence was for the film.
But in an interview with Variety, Olivia shut down rumours of a feud with Florence, and slammed claims Harry was paid more than her.
She told the outlet: “I had been blown the f**k away by [Florence]. I loved the film [Midsommar], but I loved her. I was just like, ‘Well, she’s extraordinary. She’s clearly the most exciting young actress working today.’”
The 38-year-old added: “There has been a lot out there that I largely don’t pay attention to. But the absurdity of invented clickbait and subsequent reaction regarding a nonexistent pay disparity between our lead and supporting actors really upset me.”
“I’m a woman who has been in this business for over 20 years, and it’s something that I have fought for myself and others, especially being a director. There is absolutely no validity to those claims.”
Praising Harry and Florence, Olivia said: “We were all brought so close by the bubble of the production. She was really a great supporter of his as someone who was newer to a film set. And he was such a great supporter of hers, as someone who understood it was her film.”
Last September, Olivia attended the press conference for the film at the Venice Film Festival alongside co-stars Harry Styles, Gemma Chan and Chris Pine; however, Florence did not appear on the panel.
During the press conference, a reporter asked Olivia: “Can you just clear the air and address whether there has been a falling out there and if so why, because it’s something that people are discussing?”
The 38-year-old responded: “Florence is a force and we are so grateful that she is 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 and Denis Villeneuve for helping us – we’re really thrilled we’ll get to celebrate her work tonight.”
“I can’t say enough how honoured I am to have her as our lead. She’s amazing in the film and as for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, I mean, the internet feeds itself. I don’t feel the need to contribute, I think it’s sufficiently well nourished.”
Florence Pugh knowing she’s the IT girl, Chris Pine being her personal photographer, the crowd going wild…that’s amore pic.twitter.com/VQ20ZQy3bC
— Liv Marks (@OliviaLilyMarks) September 5, 2022
In October, a report by The Sun claimed Harry kissed Florence before he struck up a romance with Olivia.
A source told the outlet: “Harry and Florence had chemistry from the off, which translated incredibly well on-screen.”
“One night they had a bit of a snog, all very light-hearted and a bit of fun, and that was that. It was being gossiped about by a couple of members of production, otherwise no one would have known.”
“Harry was very much single at the time and Florence had separated from Zach Braff, although she’d kept the split quiet to — ironically — avoid headlines.”
The insider continued: “There was no cheating or misbehaviour from anyone. However, later on, Harry and Olivia started spending more time together — sneaking off for coffees, hanging out in one another’s trailers, and sharing small, routine intimacies.”
“It was clear to all they had a real connection. When they were pictured holding hands for the first time, Florence wasn’t too happy,” the source alleged.
“There was already tension between the two women and this undoubtedly fanned the flames.”
“Although the feud is one of Hollywood’s worst-kept secrets, everyone involved is a professional and things are now cordial.”
