Olivia Wilde had hoped to quash the rumours of a feud between her and Florence Pugh at the Venice Film Festival, but their latest appearance has only fuelled more speculation.
WATCH: Olivia Wilde dodges questions about Florence Pugh ‘feud’
For those who missed it, there is supposedly tension between the Don’t Worry Darling director and leading lady over a number of issues, ranging from Harry Styles’ paycheck to how the film has been promoted.
None of the rumours have been confirmed and Olivia dodged questions about her allegedly strained relationship with Florence while appearing at the Venice Film Festival on Monday.
When asked at a press conference if she could “clear the air” regarding the feud claims, Olivia tried to play it cool.
“Florence is a force. We are so grateful she’s able to make it tonight. I’m grateful to her, and to [Dune director Denis Villeneuve] for helping us. I can’t say how honoured I am to have her as our lead,” she began.
“As for all the endless tabloid gossip out there, the Internet feeds itself. I don’t feel the need to contribute; I think it’s sufficiently self-nourished.”
Florence was absent for the press conference and did not speak to media on the red carpet, the festival reporting it was due to the timing of her flight from Budapest, where she is filming the Dune sequel.
This follows the rising star’s trend of not doing press or promotion for the film despite being Don’t Worry Darling’s leading lady.
Though Olivia refused to comment on the rumours directly, fans quickly noticed that she and Florence kept their distance during a rare appearance together.
While posing on the red carpet, the two women stood some metres apart and always with other actors between them for group photos.
Photos from the red carpet and subsequent film screening were quickly spread around social media, where TikTok and Twitter users claimed they “proved” there is tension between Olivia and Florence.
According to online sleuths, Florence has distanced herself from Wilde due to frustrations over Olivia casting boyfriend Harry Styles in the film and paying him (allegedly) much more than her.
WATCH: Why Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde aren’t talking
Florence seemed to address the rumours when she told Harper’s Bazaar in August: “When it’s reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it’s not why we do it. It’s not why I’m in this industry.
“Obviously, the nature of hiring the most famous pop star in the world, you’re going to have conversations like that. That’s just not what I’m going to be discussing because [this movie is] bigger and better than that.”
There was also uproar when Olivia claimed she had fired controversial actor Shia LaBeouf from the film over his “combative energy”, but seemed to allude to issues between him and Florence in a video leaked by Shia last month.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
