Olivia Wilde has insisted "there was no going forward" with Shia LaBeouf as the leading man in Don't Worry Darling.
It was widely believed that the Honey Boy actor was fired from Wilde's second directorial effort and replaced with Harry Styles, and the filmmaker confirmed that version of events to Variety in an interview last month.
However, LaBeouf disputed her story shortly after, claiming that he decided to quit the film because he wasn't given enough time to rehearse with his co-stars. He also publicly shared text messages and a video from Wilde to back up his claim.
In a cover interview with Vanity Fair magazine, the 38-year-old insisted the exchanges don't show the full picture.
"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," she said, referring to the treatment he underwent after being accused of sexual assault, battery, and infliction of emotional distress by ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs in December 2020.
Wilde gave the comment as a follow-up to her cover interview, during which she said she let go of LaBeouf after her leading lady Florence Pugh told her she was uncomfortable with her co-star's behaviour.
"My responsibility was towards her. I'm like a mother wolf. Making the call was tricky, but in a way, he understood," she said. "I don't think it would've been a process he enjoyed. 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."
A source confirmed LaBeouf's claim that he was unhappy about his limited rehearsal time with Pugh and Wilde's suggestion that Pugh was uncomfortable with his intensity. He allegedly made her choose between him and Pugh, and Wilde went with the British actress and allowed him to believe that he was quitting.
According to Vanity Fair, the video Wilde sent LaBeouf encouraging him to stay with the movie was sent before the Black Widow star expressed her discomfort with the actor.
Don't Worry Darling hits cinemas on 23 September.
