Shia LaBeouf Denies Olivia Wilde's 'Don't Worry Darling' Firing Claim

Ahead of the film's upcoming release, the director sat down with Variety to talk about her highly anticipated psychological thriller and the drama surrounding its production, including rumored tension between Wilde and Florence Pugh over the former's relationship with Harry Styles. That said, their alleged feud is far from the first time speculation of a behind-the-scenes dispute has occurred, with the most notable being LaBeouf's supposed firing from Don't Worry Darling for "poor behavior."

But after remaining largely silent on the matter, Wilde finally decided to confirm the story in her interview. While she began by saying she was an "admirer of his work," Wilde said that LaBeouf's "process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions," as she believes that "creating a safe, trusting environment is the best way to get people to do their best work."

"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," she said, before adding, "Ultimately, my responsibility is to the production and to the cast to protect them. That was my job."

However, LaBeouf has since pushed back against Wilde's claim in follow-up email to Variety, saying that he actually "quit the film due to lack of rehearsal time" in August 2020. He also forwarded the outlet copies of emails sent to Wilde in response to her interview, as well as texts and a video she allegedly sent asking him to not leave the production.

"You and I both know the reasons for my exit. I quit your film because your actors and I couldn’t find time to rehearse," he wrote in one of the emails, before asking her to reconsider her perpetuation of a story he deemed to be "attractive clickbait."

"Firing me never took place, Olivia. And while I fully understand the attractiveness of pushing that story because of the current social landscape, the social currency that brings. It is not the truth. So I am humbly asking, as a person with an eye toward making things right, that you correct the narrative as best you can," LaBeouf wrote. "I hope none of this negatively effects [sic] you, and that your film is successful in all the ways you want it to be."

Read Variety's full report on LaBeouf's rebuttal here.

Photos via Getty / Rich Fury & Taylor Hill / WireImage