Among all the titles that are suffering from the sting of cancellations, delays and changes in strategy that the people of Warner Bros. have been carrying out for a few weeks, one of the few not affected has been ‘Do not worry dear’; the new film directed by Olivia Wilde, which will be released in Spain next September 23.
In this murky psychological thriller set in a 1950s American suburb, Florence Pugh stars as a housewife who begins to question her marriage and reality after learning a secret about her husband; role that Harry Styles has ended up playing after a convulsive casting process and production.
Wilde, LaBeouf, and the “no asshole policy”
Originally it was the actor and singer who was supposed to accompany Pugh in this story, but Styles’ musical career prevented him from balancing his schedule, being replaced by a Shia LaBeouf who did not last long in the project. The reason, Wilde told Variety, was closely linked to his allegedly conflicting work process.
“I say this as someone who is a huge fan of your work: Your process didn’t fit the ethos that I demand in my productions. You have a process that, in a way, seems to require a combative energy, and personally I don’t think that gives room for better performances”.
Under these circumstances, the director hid behind what she calls “no asshole policy” — the studio mentioned “scheduling conflicts” — to fire LaBeouf. Later, FKA Twigs, who shared a set with the interpreter in ‘Honey Boy’, filed a lawsuit against him for psychological, emotional and sexual abuse.
“A lot of things came to light after this happened that I was very concerned about in terms of behavior. For our movie, what we really needed was a very supportive energy. Especially in a movie like this, I knew I was going to asking Florence to be in very vulnerable situations, and my priority was to make her feel safe and supported.
I believe that creating a safe and trusting environment is the best way to get people to do their best work. Ultimately, my responsibility is to protect the members of the production and the cast. That was my job.”
Fortunately for Olivia Wilde, the arrival of the pandemic led to the cancellation of Harry Styles’ tour, allowing him to join the filming from ‘Don’t worry, dear’. Regarding Shia LaBeouf, the filmmaker is clear: “I wish him health and evolution, because I believe in reparation justice”.