Shia LaBeouf wrote to Don’t Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde to deny her statement in a Variety interview that she fired him from the film to make sure co-star Florence Pugh felt “safe” and “supported.”
LaBeouf said he wasn’t fired, but rather quit the movie due to inadequate rehearsal time. His team gave media outlets a letter, text messages and a video sent from Wilde to LaBeouf during production in 2020.
In the Variety story, Wilde praised his work, but said his “process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions.” She replaced him with Harry Styles, who she later began dating. A rep Wilde did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MovieMaker on Friday.
“What inspired this email today is your latest Variety story,” LaBeouf wrote to Wilde. “I am greatly honored by your words on my work; thank you, that felt good to read. I am a little confused about the narrative that I was fired, however. You and I both know the reasons for my exit. I quit your film because your actors & I couldn’t find time to rehearse. I have included as a reminder the screenshots of our text exchange on that day, and my text to [executive] Tobey [Emmerich].”
LaBeouf added: “I know that you are beginning your press run for DWD and that the news of my firing is attractive clickbait, as I am still persona-non-grata and may remain as such for the rest of my life.”
Shia LaBeouf noted his exit date as August 17, 2020. The actor also said he is 627 days sober.
“Firing me never took place, Olivia. 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,” LaBeouf stated. “So I am humbly asking, as a person with an eye toward making things right, that you correct the narrative as best you can. I hope none of this negatively effects you, and that your film is successful in all the ways you want it to be.”
When Harry Styles replaced Shia LaBeouf in September 2020, the reasoning for LaBeouf’s exit was reported by the studio as a scheduling conflict. A few month later, FKA Twigs, LaBeouf’s former partner and Honey Boy co-star, sued LaBeouf for sexual battery, accusing him of putting her through “relentless” abuse during their relationship. Following the lawsuit, LaBeouf and his agency, CAA, parted ways, and he entered an inpatient facility.
Main image: Shia LaBeouf arrives for the Hollywood Film Awards 2019 on November 03, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California, courtesy of Shutterstock.
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