Olivia Wilde, director of psychological suspense thriller Don’t Worry Darling, appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night, discussing what has arguably been the talk of the town for months: the antics and rumours surrounding the cast of the film.
Colbert turned to Wilde to ask her about said rumors. As a refresher, the movie has been steeped in drama since its inception, including production mishaps and questions of frosty relationships on set. Come its premiere in Venice, though, things really started to get tense – or so the internet thought. A video of Harry Styles allegedly spitting on his castmate, Chris Pine, went viral, with the incident quickly being dubbed “spitgate”.
So naturally, Colbert had to inquire about this series of strange events. Wilde’s response?
“It’s a perfect example of like – people will look for drama anywhere they can,” she said, laughing. “Harry did not spit on Chris, in fact.”
After she’d cleared things up, she made an important point: As a female director she’s been subjected to this line of questioning, and her movie has been transformed into a meme-ifed spectacle.
“I don’t feel like my male director colleagues are answering questions about their cast,” Wilde said. The crowd cheered and Colbert agreed enthusiastically: “These are not questions that should be asked to a director”.
Of course, the biggest takeaway will be yet another confirmation that Spitgate is a fabrication. But the more important issue, sitting at the crux of this saga, is exactly what Wilde explained. A female director should be given the chance to let her work stand, just as it is.
