Olivia Wilde begged her former Don’t Worry Darling co-star Shia LaBeouf to stay on the project in a video that leaked days it was alleged LaBeouf was fired. Wilde told Variety that the Disney alum was fired from the project and replaced by her now-boyfriend, Harry Styles, to keep other cast members “safe” from his “combative energy.” In an email to the publication, the Even Stevens star denied such, sharing screenshots of texts Wilde allegedly sent him in Aug. 2020 after he expressed a desire to quit. “Doesn’t feel good to say no to someone, and I respect your honesty,” Wilde allegedly wrote in one text. “I’m gutted because it could have been something special.” He says he “officially” quit the day after he received that message. Now, he wants Wilde to retract her statements, claiming it made it “harder” for him to “crawl out of the hole” he dug amid previous scandals, one of which was alleged abuse.
“Firing me never took place, Olivia,” LaBeouf said in the email. “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.” This may drum up lots of publicity for the film, which hits theaters Sept. 23. The video in which Wilde begs for his return has been circulating on social media and contradicts the story of LaBeouf being fired.
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“I wanted to reach out because I feel like I’m not ready to give up on this yet,” Wilde said in the self-filmed video. “I, too, am heartbroken, and I want to figure this out.” She also hinted at a disagreement between LaBeouf and the film’s lead actress, Florence Pugh.
“I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re open to giving this a shot with me, with us,” she added. “If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point, and if you guys can make peace — and I respect your point of view, I respect hers — but if you guys can do it, what do you think?”
