News broke in late April that Olivia Wilde had cast Florence Pugh and Shia LaBeouf as the leads in the psychological thriller “Don’t Worry Darling,” her highly anticipated second feature directorial effort following the breakout success of “Booksmart.” By September, LaBeouf had been replaced by Harry Styles as the film’s male lead. Deadline reported at the time LaBeouf “departed the project due to a scheduling conflict,” but a new Variety report claims LaBeouf was fired off the project by Wilde due to alleged poor behavior.
As reported by Variety: “In September, LaBeouf was officially moved off the project. Instead, studio sources announced that Harry Styles would be replacing him, citing a scheduling conflict. It turns out that wasn’t the full story. Variety has learned LaBeouf was dropped from the film. Though shooting had not started yet when LaBeouf departed, insiders close to the project say LaBeouf displayed poor behavior and his style clashed with the cast and crew, including Wilde, who ultimately fired him.
“He is not an easy guy to work with,” a source close to “Don’t Worry Darling” told Variety, adding the actor was “off-putting” to Wilde and other members of the cast and crew. The source noted Wilde “is known to build collaborative sets with a zero asshole policy.”
LaBeouf’s alleged firing from “Don’t Worry Darling” took place around three months before singer and actress FKA Twigs filed a lawsuit against LaBeouf over alleged sexual battery and abuse. FKA Twigs starred opposite LaBeouf in the film “Honey Boy” and the two artists dated for about a year. The lawsuit accuses LaBeouf of violent attacks including strangulation and of knowingly giving FKA Twins a sexually transmitted disease, among other allegations. Wilde was one of several women in Hollywood to show support for FKA Twigs on social media.
Following the lawsuit, Netflix removed LaBeouf’s name off the FYC awards campaign pages for its upcoming drama “Pieces of a Woman.” The film, directed by Kornél Mundruczó, stars LaBeouf opposite Vanessa Kirby, who won the Best Actress prize at the Venice Film Festival and is widely viewed as a leading contender for an Oscar nomination.
“These are serious allegations that were hard to read,” Mundruczó told Variety in his first statement addressing the LaBeouf lawsuit. “My heart was full of sorrow and sadness to read the accounts. I believe all humans should feel like they can come forward and tell their truth. I stand with you. We are proud that the film centers on the complexity and beauty of a female journey. Our focus remains on shining a light on our deeply personal story.”
IndieWire has reached out to representatives for Wilde and LaBeouf for further comment on the actor’s alleged firing from “Don’t Worry Darling.” Head over to Variety to read more from the report.
