It might have sounded like a fever dream, but on Monday seriously messy don’t worry darling the press day and premiere at the Venice Film Festival really happened.
The film has been riddled with drama for weeks now, but it all came to a head when the cast reunited on the red carpet for some very awkward group photos before heading into the theater for a screening.
Much of the film’s controversy stemmed from a rumor of a quarrel between its director, Olivia Wilde, and the main actress, Florence Pugh, with a video 2020 of Olivia referring to her leading lady as “Miss Flo” and saying she needed a “wake-up call” online less than two weeks before they were to meet face to face.
Shortly after the video leaked, it was confirmed that the first would be the only one in Florence don’t worry darling press engagement, and her conspicuous absence from the cast press conference earlier in the day was accentuated when she strutted around Venice with a Aperol Spritz in hand while his teammates spoke to members of the press.
The tension between Florence and Olivia was palpable at the premiere, with Florence enthusiastically greeting everyone on the red carpet except her director and co-star Harry Styles, whom Olivia began dating while filming the film.
But in an unexpected twist, Monday’s drama went way beyond the two women’s alleged breakup, as people also noticed Harry’s odd behavior at the premiere.
Many have noted that he too seemed to be deliberately avoiding Olivia on the red carpet and at one point apparently refused to stand next to her for a group photo.
bless the person in black trying to get harry next to olivia they were trying their best but that man didn’t have it
Things got even stranger once inside the theatre, and Florence and Harry co-star Chris Pine found herself at the center of the biggest scandal of the night despite managing to avoid much of the fury that surrounded him. don’t worry darling up to this point.
Highlighting the tension behind the scenes, Olivia, Harry and Florence were all separated from each other in the seating arrangement, with their co-stars acting as human buffers.
Gemma Chan sat between Florence and Harry, and on Harry’s other side was Chris – separating him from Olivia.
In a clip that has quickly gone viral – and which you’ve probably watched a million times by now – Harry can be seen walking towards his seat as Chris, who is already seated, applauds his entrance.
Just before Harry sat down, Chris stopped abruptly, looked down at his knees and paused for a moment. He then seemed to shake his head in apparent disbelief while smiling at himself with a puzzled look on his face.
Internet sleuths were desperate to figure out what caused this reaction, and soon after it was claimed that Harry spat on Chris’ lap as he sat down.
So what’s the verdict here? Did Harry spit on Chris Pine? What happened on that film set brother 💀
Slow-motion replays of the video seemed to confirm that Harry had indeed made a spitting motion with his mouth just before Chris stopped clapping.
The actor’s look on his knees also seemed perfectly coordinated with where Harry’s saliva would have landed on him, and it wasn’t long before social media was alight with reactions to the theory.
“The drama don’t worry honey is getting more and more absurd like you mean harry styles [spins wheel] spit on [spins wheel] Chris Pine,” read a popular tweet.
the drama don’t worry honey is getting more and more absurd like what do you mean harry styles [spins wheel] spit on [spins wheel] chris pine
“My mind is stuck on the very real possibility of Harry Styles spitting on Chris Pine, I can’t stop rewinding the tape,” someone else wrote. A third tweeted: “I don’t know what all the Harry Styles drama is but I’d like to state publicly that he might spit on me.”
my mind is stuck on the very real possibility of harry styles spitting on chris pine i can’t stop rewinding the tape
“I choose to believe Harry Styles spits on Chris Pine because life is more fun that way,” another joked.
But on Tuesday, Chris’ rep vehemently denied that the actor had been spat on by his co-star, and released a statement which attributed the video to the two stars’ inappropriate body language as they insisted that Harry and Chris were on good terms.
“This is a ridiculous story – a complete fabrication and the result of a bizarre online illusion that is clearly misleading and allows for wild speculation,” the statement read. “Just to be clear, Harry Styles didn’t spit on Chris Pine. There is nothing but respect between these two men and any suggestion to the contrary is a blatant attempt to create drama that simply doesn’t exist.”
Harry’s rep declined to comment at the time, but on Wednesday night the man himself acknowledged the drama during his live show at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The popstar couldn’t help but joke about the incident with fans and delivered the best possible response after the days-long speech.
Harry had taken a break from the US leg of his world tour to attend the film festival on Monday, and during his first performance since the premiere he acknowledged his absence, saying: “It’s wonderful, wonderful, wonderful d to be back in New York.
“I just rushed to Venice to spit on Chris Pine,” he cheekily added.
Harry breaks his silence about the spitting incident with Chris Pine! #LoveOnTourNYC (via esnydaylights)
Needless to say, the crowd went wild and it wasn’t long before videos of the moment spread like wildfire online as Harry was celebrated for his playful reaction.
Someone wrote: ‘The way Harry jokes about spitting on Chris Pine made me ROLL.’ A second added: “Not Harry talking about the spit drama and laughing.”
Another fan said, “Harry was laughing at the spit issue like we don’t have to work over time as defense lawyers on twt to prove he’s innocent.” Another tweeted: “Harry come back to us after this one day shitshow and laugh about it yeah baby come back to the family!! movie people don’t deserve you.
Harry laughs at the spit issue like we don’t have to work over time as defense lawyers on twt to prove he’s innocent
Of course #spitgate wasn’t the only viral moment between Harry and Chris during Don’t Worry Darling’s on press day, with a clip of Chris staring off into space as Harry told a reporter, “My favorite thing about the movie is that it feels like you’re in a movie,” also causing a stir online.
Meanwhile, Florence continued to fuel speculation that she had a bad on-set experience with the film when fans noted that she made six Instagram grid posts about the Venice Film Festival, but only mentioned don’t worry darling oncein the form of a hashtag.
And despite all the hype and drama that surrounded the film, it received mixed reviews from critics and currently has a 44% rating on the review aggregation website. rotten tomatoes.