‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Crew Disputes Report of On-Set Argument Between Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh: ‘There Was Never a Screaming Match’
A group of 40 crew members that worked on the production of “Don’t Worry Darling” issued a joint statement on Saturday, disputing a report that director Olivia Wilde and lead Florence Pugh got into an argument on the set of the film.
The coalition of signees, which includes writer and producer Katie Silberman, cinematographer Matthew Libatique and costume designer Arianne Phillips, commends Wilde as “an incredible leader and director who was present and involved with every aspect of production.” The statement, obtained by People, expresses that “allegations about unprofessional behavior on the set of ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ are completely false.”
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“As a crew, we’ve avoided addressing the absurd gossip surrounding the movie we’re so proud of, but feel the need to correct the anonymous ‘sources’ quoted in a recent article,” the statement reads. “There was never a screaming match between our director and anyone, let alone a member of our cast.”
The news comes one day after Vulture reported that a “blowout argument” between Pugh and Wilde occurred about three-quarters of the way through production on “Don’t Worry Darling.” The article stated that Pugh had grown “fed up with the director’s frequent unexplained absences,” citing that Wilde and her leading man, Harry Styles, would disappear together from the set. Pugh allegedly made contact with New Line Cinema’s then-chairman Toby Emmerich to ensure that she would not have to “participate in the film’s life cycle in any way.”
“We are happy to put our names on this, as real people who worked on the film, and who have witnessed and benefitted from the collaborative and safe space Olivia creates as a director and leader,” the crew’s statement reads. “We’re also thrilled that the movie is in theaters this weekend. We can’t wait for you to see it on the big screen.”
Representatives for Warner Bros., Silberman and Libatique were not immediately available for comment.
See the full list of the statement’s signees below.
Chris Baugh, location manager
Josh Bramer, property master
Katie Byron, production designer
Matthew Libatique, director of photography
Steve Morrow, sound mixer
Arianne Phillips, costume designer
Alex G. Scott, executive producer
Katie Silberman, writer/producer
Heba Thorisdottir, makeup department head
Eliana Alcouloumre, production assistant
Mary Florence Brown, art director
Monica Chamberlain, assistant costume designer
Conrad Curtis, second second assistant director
Raphael Di Febo, assistant property master
Rachael Ferrara, set decorator
Jake Ferrero, lighting technician
Jeff Ferrero, gaffer
Zach Gulla, set dresser
Yani Gutierrez, production assistant
David Hecht, assistant property master
Becca Holstein, director’s assistant
Nic Jones, programmer
Michael Kaleta, boom operator
Gerardo Lara, electrician
JB Leconte, rig programmer
Lexi Lee, set dresser
John Mang, dolly grip
Mark Mann, best boy
Gideon Markham, lighting console programmer
Alex Mazekian, graphic artist
Melissa McSorley, food stylist
Bryan Mendoza, sound utility
Luis Moreno, rigging gaffer
Noelle Pinola, set dresser
Scott Sakamoto, A camera operator
Chris Scharffenberg, set dresser
Grace Shaw, production assistant
Alexander Szuch, electrician
Erika Toth, art director
Tricia Yoo, set costumer
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