We live in an age when all kinds of behavior were once upon a time Not Seen as scandalous is now scandalous. However, the “call the people” mentality can extend to less serious and sometimes trivial things. This was a “Don’t Worry Baby” drama—and by drama, I don’t mean the story of a Stepford housewife, played by Florence Pugh, who awakens to discover that the candy-colored dream world of the 1950s was living in a carefully constructed nightmare. That drama, as I wrote in my review, is OK; He begins with a temptation and then loses his power. But off-screen drama? This was a gift of gossip that keeps on giving. (If you want to know what Neil Postman means with the title of his 1985 book Amusing Ourselves to Death, look no further than Spitjet.)
Part of the addictive fun in “Don’t Worry, Baby: Diary of an Offscreen” is that it was a popular zombie epic in which no one did anything wrong. (You get your easy Twitter ethic and eat it too.) The parts of the saga, if you take them one by one, aren’t complicated or even too outrageous. In the midst of making her second feature film, prominent film director Olivia Wilde enters into a romantic relationship with her lead man, Harry Styles, who just so happens to be the most sought-after pop star on the planet. (Important fact to keep in mind: Never before has a film director had such a connection with his lead actor happened in the history of motion pictures.)
There is also the question of who the lead actor was originally assigned to. Shia LaBeouf, who was first cast in the part, has been replaced by Styles – but how and why this happened is still a matter of dispute. Wilde claims that her decision was to let LaBeouf go; As I repeated this week on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” the personal theatrical chemistry between LaBeouf and Florence Pugh, who plays the heroine, didn’t work out. However, LaBeouf claims that it was his decision to leave the film. A leaked phone conversation in which Wilde implored LaBeouf to stay may seem to support his version and conflict with her version – but then, it all depends on when that conversation took place. Wilde could have wanted LaBeouf in the part… until she didn’t. (The second important fact to note: the director has changed his mind in this way never before in the history of motion pictures.)
Of course, none of that would have had much traction had it not been for the scandal that lit the fuse: Florence Pugh largely withdrew from promoting “Don’t Worry Baby.” On Friday, the day the movie opened, the actress finally released a planted PR message on Instagram, but until then Pogue shaded the movie in her social media statements. When “Don’t Worry Baby” bowed out at the Venice Film Festival three weeks ago, all the world’s media united to highlight the fact that she attended the red carpet premiere but did not attend the film’s press conference. This was really unusual—at least, in a world where advertising for a movie has become just as important as acting.
Apparently Florence Bio was Olivia Wilde’s steamed up. She wasn’t looking at her much when the movie was presented in Venice. but why? If you’ve just scanned the headlines and soaked up the highly speculative coverage of “Don’t Worry Baby” issues, you might easily think that what happened offscreen was some kind of high school brawl. One of the rumors that led the story was that Pugh was angry with Wilde for disappearing with Harry for extended periods on the set. But why would she be so angry about it? You can imagine how this would “read” to a 14-year-old Harry Styles fan (or a 14-year-old Harry Styles fan in many of us). According to my sources, the feud between Wilde and Pugh, which appears to be a one-way feud, has more to do with what happened with LaBeouf – the difficulties this position presented, how they were resolved and the competing spin zones, even extending to a conflict over the exercise schedule. However, a lot of people who work in movies together end up hating each other and still able to cover up their hatred for the sake of the movie.
The fact that Wilde helps carve out a path for female directors, and I watched her film hit with such a perfect storm of evil magic, is unfortunate. Did the fact that she is a woman increase the media’s reaction to reporting on the scandal? I would say: In ways that you cannot prove, there is no doubt that she did. But the fact that the film now appears on track to make $21 million in its opening weekend should make up for all that well. Whatever problems arose from Shia LaBeouf’s choice, the way it was resolved was the single greatest gift to Olivia Wilde’s career. Instead of LaBeouf, she got Harry Styles, who was likely instrumental in turning her second feature into a hit (medium size).
If you’re wondering if all this drama has turned people off or is, in fact, enticing people to see “Don’t Worry Baby,” the answer, by now, should be obvious. Of course it is a tie. Watching the movie became an actual way to advance the story off the screen. Let’s watch it for clues! Many observers have raised the idea that there is no such thing as bad publicity; In fact, there is such a thing. But perhaps no press conference can publish a movie as aggressively as a rising star’s refusal to appear at a press conference, all because of… her displeasure? pride? Or some ulterior motive connected vaguely but stubbornly to the existence of the world’s ruling pop star? Go ahead – try to fill in the blanks. And if you want to imagine that what is happening on the screen complements the meaning of what is happening off the screen, then by all means indulge yourself in the imagination. It’s part of what has been selling movies 100 years ago.
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