Leaked footage has surfaced online that appears to show Olivia Wilde asking Shia LaBeouf not to quit her upcoming movie Don't Worry Darling.
Earlier this week, the 38-year-old director claimed in her cover story with Variety that she fired LaBeouf, 36, in 2020 for safety reasons. She said that his acting process "was not conducive to the ethos" that she demands in her productions.
However, the 36-year-old Transformers actor came forward to refute those claims and said that he wasn't kicked off the production. Instead, he says, he left of his own accord because of rehearsal issues with the other actors.
A leaked video emerged online on Friday (August 26) and it seemingly shows Wilde encouraging LaBeouf to stay signed on to the film - rather than leave it - while also hinting at some apparent tension with Florence Pugh.
Watch the video below:LaBeouf was scheduled to appear in Wilde's psychological thriller that follows a 1950s couple who move into an experimental utopian community in California.
The controversial actor was originally meant to play Jack - the romantic partner of Pugh's character Alice - but was ultimately replaced by Harry Styles.
"Shia, Shia, Shia...," the Booksmart director says in the video, which she appears to have recorded while driving. "I just went riding with my horse, [I'm] very sweaty, but I wanted to reach out because I feel like I'm not ready to give up on this yet."
She then seems to indicate possible issues between LaBeouf and co-star Pugh, saying: "You know, I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo. If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point."
Wilde then concluded her plea to the actor by saying: "And if you guys can make peace, and I respect your point of view, and I respect hers if you guys can do it - what do you think? Is there hope? Will you let me know?"
The video seems to contradict her comments to the publication that the Even Stevens actor was let go from the movie due to his "combative energy".
LaBeouf hit back at her allegations to the outlet by sending screenshots to a variety of publications including The A.V. Club featuring text and email exchanges with the director after he expressed a desire to quit.
"Doesn’t feel good to say no to someone, and I respect your honesty," Wilde wrote in one text. "I’m gutted because it could have been something special."
Now, the actor is asking Wilde to rectify her previous allegations, writing in the email that she has made it "harder" for him to "crawl out of the hole" amid the abuse allegations from former partner FKA Twigs.
"This situation with your film and my 'firing' will never have a court date with which to deal with the facts. If lies are repeated enough in the public they become truth," he wrote.
"Firing me never took place, Olivia," LaBeouf added. "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."
