Olivia Wilde says Shia LaBeouf was fired from Don’t Worry Darling to keep Florence Pugh ‘safe’

The studio blamed scheduling conflicts – but Don’t Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde has revealed the real reason Shia LaBeouf was replaced by Harry Styles.

Olivia Wilde has claimed Shia LaBeouf was originally cast in Harry Styles’ role in Don’t Worry Darling, but had to be let go to ensure safety during filming.

Wilde, 38, who directed the movie, told Variety that she originally envisioned Styles, 28, for the role of Jack, the sketchy husband of a suburban housewife named Alice (played by Florence Pugh), but the rocker had already hit the road for a global tour.

Thus, LaBeouf, 36, was cast instead. But by early production in 2020, Wilde said he was let go, New York Post reports.

“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,” Wilde told the outlet. “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.”

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Shia LaBeouf was fired from the film. Picture: J. Merritt/WireImage

Florence Pugh. Picture: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images

At the time of LaBeouf’s departure, the studio claimed he had scheduling conflicts, while Wilde insisted on her “no a**holes policy”. Luckily for her, the Covid pandemic saw Styles’ tour cancelled and freed up his schedule to star in the film.

Later in 2020, LaBeouf’s former partner FKA Twigs filed a lawsuit against him, claiming sexual, emotional and psychological abuse.

“A lot came to light after this happened that really troubled me, in terms of his behaviour,” Wilde said.

“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.”

As seen in the Darling trailer, Jack and Alice appear in several intimate scenes together.

“I believe that creating a safe, trusting environment is the best way to get people to do their best work,” she said. “Ultimately, my responsibility is to the production and to the cast to protect them. That was my job.”

Styles and Pugh in Don’t Worry Darling.

As for LaBeouf, Wilde added: “I find myself just really wishing him health and evolution because I believe in restorative justice.”

Styles’ casting ultimately led to a real-world romance between him and Wilde, with the pair now having been dating for over a year.

Wilde opened up about the production ahead of its October release. Picture: Jean-Baptiste Lacroix/AFP

Earlier this month, Pugh, 26, criticised viewers’ fixation on Styles’ sex acts displayed in the steamy trailer.

“When it’s reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it’s not why we do it. It’s not why I’m in this industry,” the British actress said in a Harper’s Bazaar profile.

“Obviously, the nature of hiring the most famous pop star in the world, you’re going to have conversations like that,” she said.

“That’s just not what I’m going to be discussing because [this movie is] bigger and better than that. And the people who made it are bigger and better than that.”

Don’t Worry Darling hits theatres on October 6.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Olivia Wilde says Shia LaBeouf was fired from Don’t Worry Darling to keep Florence Pugh ‘safe’