Chris Pine responds to claims Harry Styles spat on him at 'Don’t Worry Darling' premiere

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By Phoebe Egoroff

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Should we be worrying, darling? Chris Pine has finally responded to claims that Harry Styles spat on him during the Venice premiere of Don't Worry Darling.

In case you missed it, a video of Styles went viral on Twitter recently, where the singer-turned-actor appears to spit on co-star, Pine, as he sits down next to him. Engaged in applause, Pine then stops clapping, and appears to look at his lap - almost as if he is looking for the gob of saliva Styles may have launched at him.

Of course, the topic has been trending on Twitter, where the memes have been rolling in.

"Not now sweetie mommy's trying to see if Harry Styles really spat on Chris Pine," one person tweeted, accompanied by an image of a Sims character playing on the computer while her baby is on fire.

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Credit: Twitter.com

"The Don't Worry Darling drama is getting more and more absurd like what do you mean Harry Styles [spins wheel] spit on [spins wheel] Chris Pine? [sic]," someone else hilariously added.

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Credit: Twitter.com

One person even edited the footage to depict Styles throwing a goat onto Pine's lap, which has been viewed a total of 8.5 million times - almost eight times more than the original footage!

However, with the memes mounting and the drama surrounding the movie increasing day by day, representatives speaking on behalf of Pine have spoken out about the viral clip, telling Variety: "This is a ridiculous story — a complete fabrication and the result of an odd online illusion that is clearly deceiving and allows for foolish speculation."

"Just to be clear, Harry Styles did not spit on Chris Pine. There is nothing but respect between these two men and any suggestion otherwise is a blatant attempt to create drama that simply does not exist," the statement read.

The statement comes amid alleged tensions between Don't Worry Darling's director, Olivia Wilde, and main actress, Florence Pugh - as well as general drama surrounding the flick.

In fact, the supposed tensions date back to 2020, when Wilde stated she had to fire disgraced actor, Shia LaBeouf from the set of the film, subsequently replacing him with her beau, Styles. People reported that this was in part due to the fact LaBeouf "exhibited poor behavior and his style clashed with the cast and crew."

Of the actor's dismissal, Wilde stated: "I say this as someone who is such an admirer of his work. His process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions. He has a process that, in some ways, seems to require a combative energy, and I don't personally believe that is conducive to the best performances."

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Shia LaBeouf was replaced by Harry Styles in Don't Worry Darling, with Wilde citing "poor behavior" as a reason for his dismissal. Credit: PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy.

The actor's dismissal came several weeks before his ex-girlfriend, FKA Twigs, sued him for the alleged abuse that occurred during their relationship, as previously reported.

Wilde's statements did not sit well with LaBeouf, and emails that provided conflicting information were leaked, as well as a video of Wilde encouraging LaBeouf to stay signed on to the movie. Recently, LaBeouf publicly asked Wilde to correct her statements, as previously reported.

"Firing me never took place, Olivia," LaBeouf wrote in an email. "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."

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Florence Pugh was not present for a panel discussion on Don't Worry Darling, but attended the film's premiere later that day. Credit: Zuma Press / Alamy

Then, this week, during a panel discussion with the main cast of Don't Worry Darling - at which Pugh was not in attendance - Wilde answered a question focused on her alleged feud with Pugh, stating very diplomatically: "Florence is a force and we are so grateful that she is able to make it tonight despite being in production on Dune."

The 38-year-old director continued: "I know as a director how disruptive it is to lose an actor even for a day so I'm very grateful to her and Denis Villeneuve for helping us – we're really thrilled we'll get to celebrate her work tonight."

Pugh eventually appeared for the film's evening premiere at the Venice International Film Festival - which received a four-minute standing ovation (as all the movies appear to be receiving lately).

Reviews of the film have been generally unfavorable - critics have consistently praised Pugh, while mostly commenting on Styles' acting as "lacking," The Guardian has reported.

Well - between firing LaBeouf, his subsequent emails demanding the truth, Wilde and Pugh's apparent feud, and Styles' perceived spit on Pine - Don't Worry Darling better be a good film, considering the never-ending drama surrounding it. In the meantime, though, let's not worry darling.

Featured image credit: Sipa US / Alamy