Florence Pugh praised for skipping Don’t Worry Darling press conference amid feud

Florence Pugh, who leads the feuding cast of scandal-plagued Don’t Worry Darling, has made a telling appearance at the Venice Film Festival today.

Florence Pugh is living proof that actions speak louder than words.

The 26-year-old star of Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling has whipped up a frenzy online with her brief yet dramatic appearance at the Venice Film Festival today after refusing to attend the press panel with the rest of the cast.

As she dazzled on the red carpet of the premiere later in the day, she avoided eye contact with both her co-star Harry Styles and director Wilde, who is dating Styles. It seemed the beef surrounding the film is far from rumoured.

And with Chris Pine now in the mix following a shocking clip from inside the screening, the plot has well and truly thickened.

Florence Pugh has been dubbed a ‘quiet quitting icon’. Picture: AFP.

Pugh posed with co-stars Sydney Chandler and Gemma Chan. Picture: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images.

… But appeared to keep her distance from Wilde. Picture: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images.

On Monday, Variety reported that Pugh would not be present at the Don’t Worry Darling press panel due to her flight arriving too late while Wilde later cited “scheduling conflicts” as the reason. Pugh is currently filming Dune 2 in Budapest.

Fellow Dune star Timothee Chalamet arrived in Venice two days prior so it may be Pugh simply opted out of facing awkward questions about tensions on the set of the film relating to Styles’ on-set romance with Wilde, and disgraced actor Shia LaBeouf’s “firing”.

On Twitter, fans labelled Pugh’s move “iconic”, with a clip of the Little Women star sashaying through Venice with an Aperol Spritz in hand.

florence pugh avoiding the conference and its drama at the venice film festival and enjoying a spritz. this is what i call iconic behaviour, no one is doing it like her pic.twitter.com/G7iPdXp45N

— fra🍂🫧 | #1 kit connor protector (@goldenheartvhes) September 5, 2022

Florence Pugh, quiet quitting icon

— mattie kahn (@mattiekahn) September 5, 2022

At the press conference, Wilde was tasked with dodging questions about the scandal, refusing to add fuel to the fire.

After gushing over Pugh’s performance, she said: “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.”

Stepping out on the red carpet, Pugh greeted co-stars Gemma Chan, Chris Pine and Nick Kroll with wide smiles and warm hugs, seemingly ignoring Wilde and Styles.

In what could be a sign of solidarity with the star, Pine and Kroll made a point of crouching down dramatically to take photos of Pugh in her sparkling gown.

Pugh and Wilde’s body language speaks volumes. Picture: Kate Green/Getty Images.

Chris Pine takes photos of Florence Pugh at the Venice Film Festival. https://t.co/DaVALRGZaU

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 5, 2022

Speaking to a reporter, Pugh later made a veiled reference to her decision to walk away from the drama surrounding the film.

When told her role was “inspiring”, Pugh responded: “I think it’s very inspiring to see a woman push back and say no and question everything … in and off camera.”

I: “I think your role is inspiring”
F: “Why is it inspiring?”
I: “I can spoil it”
F: “I can spoil it too!.. I think it’s very inspiring for a woman to push back and say no & question everything…on & off camera.”
💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/Vo7MUL20j4

— Erin ×͜× ✨LTdefenseless28✨ (@tdefenseless28) September 5, 2022

Inside the theatre, the two women were strategically placed on opposite ends of the row of allocated seats, and when the credits rolled, Pugh kept her back to Wilde as she received a four-minute standing ovation, facing co-star Kroll instead.

Variety reported Pugh even left the room while the clapping continued.

Florence Pugh refuses to make eye contact with Olivia Wilde during the 4-minute #Venezia79 standing ovation for #DontWorryDarling. pic.twitter.com/Xi6lJyZHbj

— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) September 5, 2022

Online, both Wilde’s and Pugh’s stylists fanned the flames even further, posting subtle references to the stars’ behind-the-scenes clash.

Following the press conference, Wilde’s stylist, Karla Welch, took to her Instagram Story to share a scenic picture with the words: “There’s always more to the story …”

Just hours later, Pugh’s stylist, Rebecca Corbin Murray, shared a series of pictures of Pugh dressed for the premiere, and captioned it “Miss Flo” – in an apparent dig at the director, who referred to the actor by that nickname in a leaked video call with Shia LaBeouf, who left the film early in production and was replaced with Harry Styles.

Pugh’s festival appearance comes as footage of Chris Pine reacting to a movement from Styles, with suggestions the popstar may have spat in the actor’s direction during the premiere does the rounds on social media, hinting there’s another layer to the scandal gossip-loving fans have yet to uncover.

Tensions surrounding Don’t Worry Darling came to a head last month after Wilde claimed she fired disgraced star Shia LaBeouf to keep the cast “safe” from his “combative energy”.

LaBeouf clapped back at her allegations, with footage emerging shortly after of Wilde begging the actor to stay on the film in a video message, hinting at a disagreement with “Miss Flo”.

In July, Page Six also reported that Styles and director Olivia Wilde’s on-set romance “did not go down well” with Pugh as Wilde was allegedly still with her ex-partner Jason Sudeikis.

Don’t Worry Darlings hits Australian cinemas on October 6.

Originally published as Florence Pugh praised for skipping Don’t Worry Darling press conference amid feud