Don't Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde has responded to Shia LaBeouf’s claim he wasn’t fired from the film.
The highly anticipated thriller is set to be released later this month with Chris Pine, Florence Pugh and Harry Styles in the starring roles, but last month Wilde claimed LaBeouf had been fired from the project after production got underway.
The director said she had let the actor go in order to create a 'safe, trusting environment' and that his acting process was 'not conducive to the ethos', with rumours suggesting Pugh had grown uncomfortable with having LaBeouf on set.
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Following the claims, LaBeouf hit back to share his version of events by releasing an email which appeared to reveal him quitting the project, rather than being fired.
He said he left the production because there wasn't enough time to rehearse, and also released a leaked video message from Wilde that he said disputed her claims.
Wilde addressed the matter in an interview with Vanity Fair released this week, in which it was claimed the video shared by LaBeouf had been sent prior to Pugh allegedly expressing her concerns about the actor.
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The director stood by her claim that she had fired LaBeouf from the project, telling the publication: "This issue is so much more nuanced than can be explained in private texts released out of context. All I’ll say is he was replaced, and there was no going forward with him. I wish him the best in his recovery.”
LaBeouf had originally been cast as the husband of Pugh's character, Alice; the role later taken on by Styles.
Discussing the call in which she allegedly fired him, Wilde said: “My responsibility was towards [Pugh]. I’m like a mother wolf. Making the call was tricky, but in a way he understood. I don’t think it would’ve been a process he enjoyed.
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"He comes at his work with an intensity that can be combative. It wasn’t the ethos that I demand in my productions. I want him to get well and to evolve because I think it’s a great loss to the film industry when someone that talented is unable to work.”
Shortly after LaBeouf left the project, two women came forward to accuse the actor of physical, mental and emotional abuse.
UNILAD has reached out to representatives of LaBeouf for comment.
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Topics: Shia LaBeouf, Film and TV, Celebrity
Emily Brown