She thinks it’s a “Wild” accusation.
Olivia Wilde reiterated her claim that she fired Shia LaBeouf from “Don’t Worry Darling”, now claiming that he gave her an “ultimatum” with Florence Pugh.
“We had to replace Shia. He’s a fantastic actor, but it wouldn’t work,” the 38-year-old director of the film told The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday. “When he gave me the ultimatum of, you know, him or Florence, I chose Florence.”
Responding to LaBeouf’s claim that Wilde had begged him to stay with the project, she clarified, “He felt he was giving up and I felt like we were moving on without him.
“Early in the process of making the film, as a director, I tried to mediate a situation between people to see if they could work together happily,” Wilde explains. “When it became clear that the working relationship was not a sustainable one, I was given an ultimatum. I chose my actress – which I am very happy with.
“At the time, was it a shame we couldn’t make it work? Yes. Did information about him come to light later that would make sure we had made the right decision? Yes,” she added, noting that a video of her asking LeBoeuf, 36, to stay on the film was “taken out of context.”
Wilde also said it was a “semantic issue” when asked if there was a possibility that she and LaBeouf were both telling the truth and that there was just confusion.
“It wouldn’t progress in the way he wanted, so he had to leave,” she said.
Despite rumor that Wilde and Pugh didn’t see each other, the filmmaker had nothing but good to say about the 26-year-old actress.
“She is sensational in this film. And it’s about being brave enough to listen to the brave people who have gone before her, who have ignored everyone else, and to trust her instincts,” Wilde said.
Wilde also called Pugh “brave” and a “superhero” for dismantling “the system” for women in Hollywood.
“Florence Pugh is as good at dramatic work as he is in action. There are real action scenes in the movie. She has a run, which I call her “Tom Cruise run.” It’s the most impressive run I’ve ever seen,” she said.
The “Booksmart” director also addressed rumors that Pugh deliberately skipped a “Don’t Worry Darling” press conference at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month.
“I have nothing but respect for Florence’s talent. She’s fantastic. She’s on the set of her movie ‘Dune’ [Part Two]”Now,” she explained. “There is nothing cooler than a busy actress. I have nothing against her for whatever reason.”
But when Stephen Colbert pointed out that Pugh had been photographed drinking a cocktail at the time of the press conference, Wilde sidestepped the question, saying it was sexist for people to pit her and Pugh against each other.
“I think what’s funny is that I don’t feel like my male director colleagues are answering questions about their cast,” she fired back.
LaBeouf denied being fired by Wilde in August, claiming his departure from “Don’t Worry Darling” had more to do with a scheduling conflict.
“You and I both know the reasons for my departure,” he reportedly wrote in an email to Wilde. “I stopped your film because your actors and I couldn’t find time to rehearse.”
The ‘Even Stevens’ alumnus asked the former ‘OC’ actress to “correct the story,” adding, “I was never fired, Olivia. And while I fully understand how appealing it is to push that story because of the current social landscape, the social currency that comes with it. It is not the truth.”
At the time, a 2020 video leaked of Wilde seemingly begging LaBeouf to stay on board.
“I wanted to get in touch because I feel like I’m not ready to give this up yet,” she said at the time. “I’m also heartbroken and I want to figure this out.”
The “House” alum also hinted at drama involving Pugh, saying, “I think this is 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.”
Wilde added: “If she’s really committed, if she’s really putting her heart and heart into it right now, and if you two can make peace – and I respect your position, I respect hers – but if you can do it , what do you think?”
LaBeouf’s claims came after Wilde told Variety that she fired the actor to “protect” Pugh. He was previously charged with assault and sought treatment in early 2021.
LaBeouf was eventually replaced by Wilde’s now-boyfriend, Harry Styles.
Wilde and 28-year-old “Watermelon Sugar” singer met on the set of the psychological thriller and began dating shortly after she and Jason Sudeikis split. The director and ‘Ted Lasso’ star, 47, share two children – Otis, 8, and Daisy, 5 – and are currently in the middle of a nasty custody battle.
“Don’t Worry Darling” hits theaters Friday.