The director, 38, addressed the pair’s widely-rumoured falling out on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday, insisting she has “nothing but respect” for Florence, 26, despite being plagued by claims to the contrary . Olivia spoke about Florence’s performance in the controversial film and suggested that the questioning about the controversy is sexist because it’s not something her “male director colleagues respond to”. The actress also doubled down on claims she fired former co-star Shia LaBeouf, 36, insisting he gave her an “ultimatum” to choose between him and Florence: “I chose Florence.” Ending: Olivia Wilde hits back at reports of feud with her ‘outrageous’ Don’t Worry Darling co-star Florence Pugh When asked by Steven if she was “fighting” with Florence, Olivia shot down rumors of tension between the pair as she gushed about the star’s “shocking” performance in the film. Director Olivia, who is dating lead Harry, is at the center of speculation about a reported rift with Florence on set, with original co-star Shia also adding to the drama. But the Booksmart director has now described Florence as a ‘superhero’ and insisted she has ‘nothing against her for any reason’ as she doubled down on her denial of any feud. “She is sensational in this film. And it’s about her being brave enough to listen to the brave people who have come before her that everyone else has ignored and trust her instincts,” Olivia said. Star: Olivia has spoken out about her portrayal of Florence in Don’t Worry Darling and suggested questioning about the row is sexist “And she’s brave enough to break the system. He is a super hero. And Florence Pugh is as good at dramatic work as she is at action. There are sequences of real action sequences in the film. He has a run that I refer to as the ‘Tom Cruise run’. It’s the most impressive run I’ve ever seen,” he added. Appearing to address claims Florence had scheduling conflicts for a press conference at the Venice Film Festival, Olivia said there was “nothing nicer than a busy actress”. “I have nothing but respect for Florence’s talent. She is fantastic. She is currently filming Dune. There is nothing cooler than a busy actress. I have nothing against her for any reason,” Olivia said. Florence skipped a press conference for the film because her flight was reportedly landing too late to get there, though she was spotted in Venice nearby enjoying an Aperol spritz while it was happening. Rumours: The director, 38, addressed the pair’s widely rumored falling out on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday, insisting she has “nothing but respect” for Florence, 26 Hatred? The actress also doubled down on claims she fired former lead actor Shia LaBeouf, 36, insisting he gave her an “ultimatum”. Commenting on a video of Florence enjoying her cocktail at the time, Stephen said: “People pointed out that she was having an Aperol spritz during the press conference and she didn’t show up for it.” To which Olivia cryptically replied, “They pointed that out.” She went on to imply that questions about the controversy are sexist, as she claimed that her fellow male directors don’t answer questions about their relationships with cast members. “I think what’s funny is, I don’t feel like my fellow directors answer questions about their cast,” Olivia said to applause from the studio audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York. Rumored conflict: Director Olivia, who is dating star Harry, has been at the center of speculation over a reported on-set rift with Florence (both pictured in the film) “These are not questions for a director. They should be talking about the movie itself,” Steven added, while admitting that he worked up a sweat by asking her about the rumours. Olivia reportedly clashed with Florence during filming, as the Black Widow star was said to be unhappy with claims that Olivia “hooked up” with Harry while she was engaged to Jason Sudeikis. Olivia, 38, and Jason, 46, got engaged in 2012 and have children Otis, eight, and Daisy, five. They were thought to have split in November 2020 and Olivia hit the headlines with Harry in January 2021. Although it was never confirmed that Olivia and Harry’s romance began while she was still engaged to Jason, Page Six reported that Florence fell out with Olivia over the pairing. Absent: Florence skipped a press conference for Don’t Worry Darling because her flight was reportedly landing too late to get there, but was spotted at the film’s premiere Iconic: But Florence was spotted in Venice nearby enjoying an Aperol spritz while the press conference took place Then, ahead of the film’s release, Florence did little to no promotion for the film and was spotted enjoying a cocktail near Venice as she skipped a press conference for Don’t Worry Darling. The rumors intensified when Olivia suggested that Florence should have a “wake-up call” in a leaked video, which Shia shared as she denied Wilde’s claim that she had been fired. Shia was originally set to star in Don’t Worry Darling before Olivia replaced him with Harry, with Olivia claiming that Shia’s process was “not conducive to the ethos I require in my productions”. But in response, Shia – who claims he quit “due to lack of rehearsal time” – shared an email he sent to the director and a video he allegedly sent him, proving he walked out of the film rather than being fired. High praise: Commenting on fans who pointed out that Florence was enjoying a cocktail at the time, Olivia cryptically replied: “They pointed that out.” In the footage, Olivia can be heard encouraging Shia to stay signed on to the film, rather than drop her, while also hinting at apparent tension with Pugh, 26, who she referred to as ‘Miss Flo’. In the clip, she said: “I feel like I’m not ready to give up yet, and I’m also heartbroken and I want to figure it out. “You know, I think this might be a bit of an awakening for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re ready to do it with me, with us. “If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you can make peace — and I respect your opinion, I respect hers — but if you can do it, what do I think? There’s hope; Will you let me know?’ Team composition: All the actors attended the premiere at the Venice Film Festival amid the drama. Photo: Nick Kroll, Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde, Sydney Chandler, Harry Styles and Gemma Chan Full disclosure: Olivia also cleared the air about her one-time Don’t Worry Darling co-star Shia LaBeouf, 36, who claimed she was let go from the film, though the actor claims she quit. But speaking to Stephen, Olivia doubled down on her claims that she fired Shia, insisting she ‘chose Florence’ after claiming Shia had given her an ultimatum. When asked if she fired Sia, Olivia said: “We had to replace Sia. He’s a fantastic actor, but it wouldn’t work. When he gave me the ultimatum, you know, him or Florence, I chose Florence.’ “He felt like he was drifting away and I felt like we were moving forward without him,” she added. Claims: Shia was set to star in Don’t Worry Darling before Olivia replaced him with Harry, claiming Shia’s process was “not conducive to the ethos I require in my productions”. Addressing the conflicting stories of Olivia claiming Shia was fired and the actor saying he quit, Stephen asked if he left in such a way that they both believed they were right in their positions. To which, Olivia said: “It’s a matter of semantics. It wasn’t going to go the way he wanted, so he had to go.’ Elsewhere in the interview, Olivia also addressed “another weird rumor” surrounding Harry Styles seemingly spitting on co-star Chris Pine at the Venice Film Festival. Fans claimed the video showed Harry allegedly seen digging into the actor’s lap, with Chris seen stopping in his tracks, looking down at his leg and sticking his tongue out in disbelief. Controversy: But Shia – who claims he quit – shared an email he sent to the director and a video he allegedly sent him, proving he walked out of the film rather than being fired The laughing actor, 42, took an amused look at the pop star, with fans then speculating that Harry had spat on Chris’ lap. However, a spat was denied, with a source close to Chris Pine telling MailOnline: ‘Harry Styles didn’t spit at all. People are seeing some strange illusion online that is clearly fraudulent.” And Olivia also shut down rumors of any spat, insisting people are trying to ‘look for drama’. Steven asked her: “Did Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine? Why or why not? Support your answer.’ Film: Harry and Florence play a married couple in Don’t Worry Darling, which tells the story of a 1950s housewife who lives with her husband in a utopian experimental community Role: Olivia, who directed the controversial film, also appears in the film as a character called Bunny, who is friends with Florence’s character Alice To which a laughing Olivia said: “She didn’t, but I think it’s a perfect example that people will look for drama where they can.” He definitively added: “Harry didn’t actually spit on Chris,” while Steven joked: “Only time will tell.” “No, he really didn’t!” Olivia said laughing. He said the video was an example of people seeing what they want to see and described it as “click bait”. Dear Me: Despite the hype surrounding Don’t Worry Darling, it currently has a dismal 34 percent critic approval rating (out of 64 reviews) in…
