Olivia Wilde has quelled speculation that her lead actor Harry Styles, “Don’t Worry Darling,” has been paid more than his opponent, Florence Pugh.
“There is absolutely no validity to those claims,” Wilde, 38, told Variety when asked about reports that her boyfriend made three times Pugh’s salary.
“There’s been a lot that I largely don’t pay attention to. But the absurdity of made-up clickbait and the subsequent reaction regarding a non-existent pay gap between our lead and supporting actors really upset me,” she continued.
“I’m a woman who’s been in this business for over 20 years, and it’s something I’ve fought for for myself and others, especially as a director.”
The “Booksmart” director met the 28-year-old “One Direction” alum on the set of the upcoming film, and the couple went public in January 2021 with their romance.
Since then, there has been speculation that Wilde had a falling out with Pugh – possibly over her relationship with Styles – but she gushed about her leading lady in the new interview.
“I was completely blown away by her,” Wilde said of the 2019 horror film “Midsommar.”
“I loved the movie, but I loved her. I was like, ‘Well, she’s extraordinary. She is clearly the most exciting young actress working today.’”
Styles, who replaced controversial actor Shia LaBeouf in the role of Jack, also spoke to the outlet about the film.
“It felt like an opportunity to play someone incredibly complex, caught between love and obsession,” he said. “There were always two sides of the character to play with. It’s fun to play someone that you feel like you’re trying to train all the time.”
It comes a few days after Styles appeared on a magazine cover of his own and spoke to Rolling Stone about the “toxic negativity” trolls have thrown at him and Wilde.
“It’s obviously a hard feeling to feel like you’re close to me, meaning you’re on the ransom of some corner of Twitter or something,” said the Dunkirk actor.
“I just wanted to sing,” he added. “I didn’t want to get into it if I hurt people like that.”
Wilde was also interviewed by the outlet, calling Styles’ extremely devoted fans “deeply loving people” and “true champions of kindness.”
“What I don’t understand about the cruelty you’re referring to is that that kind of toxic negativity is the antithesis of Harry and everything he puts out,” the actress said.
“I personally don’t believe the hateful energy defines his fan base.”