Actor Chris Pine has weighed in on the “spit-gate” scandal emerging from an incident with co-star Harry Styles at the Don’t Worry Darling premiere in Venice.
Video of the incident, in which Styles can be seen apparently spitting on Pine as he sits down next to him, has gone viral since it was caught on Tuesday (Australian time).
Throughout, there has been debate about what Styles actually did.
On Wednesday, Pine’s management issued a statement denying there was any spitting.
“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,” a rep told Variety.
“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.”
Variety also reports that there “was no tension around Styles and Pine during the premiere” of the film in which they both star. It follows months of reports of drama on the set of the Olivia Wilde-directed psychological thriller.
They include claims of a falling out between Wilde and lead actress Florence Pugh.
Pugh skipped a press appearance at the Venice Film Festival on Monday, apparently because she was on a later flight after leaving production on the set of Dune. That left Wilde – who appeared alongside Styles, Pine and Gemma Chan – to face questions about the pair’s alleged disagreement.
“Florence is a force, and we are so grateful that she’s able to make it tonight despite being in production on Dune. I know, as a director, how disruptive it is to lose an actor even for a day, so I’m very grateful to her, to Denis Villeneuve for helping us,” Wilde said.
“We’re really thrilled we’ll get to celebrate her work tonight. I can’t say enough how honoured I am to have her as our lead. She’s amazing in the film.”
The questions followed a leaked video that Wilde allegedly sent to Shia LaBeouf went viral on social media. LaBeouf quit Don’t Worry Darling shortly after, and was replaced by Styles.
Reports from July suggest Wilde’s on-set romance with Styles “did not go down well” with Pugh, as it started when the director was allegedly still with her ex-partner Jason Sudeikis.
There were also rumours – denied by Wilde – that Pugh was paid less than a third of what Styles earned for the film (a reported $700,000 to Styles’ $2.5 million).
“There has been a lot out there that I largely don’t pay attention to. But the absurdity of invented clickbait and subsequent reaction regarding a nonexistent pay disparity between our lead and supporting actors really upset me,” Wilde told Variety.
On Monday, she praised Pugh and refused to contribute to the “tabloid gossip” surrounding their relationship.
“As for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, I mean, the internet feeds itself. I don’t feel the need to contribute. I think it’s sufficiently well-nourished,” she said.
Despite the kind words, Variety reports that Wilde and Pugh kept their distance in Venice.
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