Don't Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde has opened up about the 'toxic negativity' displayed by some Harry Styles fans who aren't happy about their relationship.
The pair sparked up a romance after working together on the upcoming film Don't Worry Darling, where Styles stars alongside Florence Pugh as one of a number of men who head off to work every day at the mysterious Victory Project.
They were photographed holding hands in January 2021, and ever since then fans of the former One Direction singer have taken it upon themselves to share all their good, bad and ugly thoughts about the relationship.
Styles discussed the mixed responses of his fanbase in an interview with Rolling Stone released this week, saying that the backlash given to anyone he gets involved with 'obviously doesn't make [him] feel good'.
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The singer has sought to set boundaries between his public and private lives; typically only using Instagram to post about his upcoming tours or films and avoiding TikTok altogether, but he explained sometimes 'other people blur the lines for you'.
As a result, Styles is forced to raise the matter with potential partners early in a relationship, explaining: "Can you imagine going on a second date with someone and being like, ‘OK, there’s this corner of the thing, and they’re going to say this, and it’s going to be really crazy, and they’re going to be really mean, and it’s not real.… But anyway, what do you want to eat?’ ”
With Styles and Wilde now well and truly involved, the director is the target of many of the negative comments, Twitter threads and TikTok videos.
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From her point of view, she believes the fans as a collective are 'deeply loving people' who have fostered an accepting community.
However, she added: “What I don’t understand about the cruelty you’re referencing is that that kind of toxic negativity is the antithesis of Harry, and everything he puts out there.
"I don’t personally believe the hateful energy defines his fan base at all. The majority of them are true champions of kindness.”
Styles knows not all of his fans are to blame for negativity, though he's still not happy with the amount that comes as a result of his fame.
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“It’s obviously a difficult feeling to feel like being close to me means you’re at the ransom of a corner of Twitter or something,” he explained. “I just wanted to sing. I didn’t want to get into it if I was going to hurt people like that.”
Fans can see Styles and Wilde's work in action with the release of Don't Worry Darling on 23 September.
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Topics: Harry Styles, Twitter, Viral, Celebrity, Film and TV
Emily Brown