Don't Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde praises Harry Styles for playing supporting role

Harry Styles
(Image credit: Columbia Records)

Director Olivia Wilde has heaped praise on Harry Styles for his willingness to take on a supporting role in her upcoming movie, Don't Worry Darling. Styles replaced Shia LaBeouf in the '50s-set thriller last fall.

"Most male actors don’t want to play supporting roles in female-led films. The industry has raised them to believe it lessens their power (i.e financial value) to accept these roles, which is one of the reasons it’s so hard to get financing for movies focusing on female stories," Wilde said in an Instagram post.

"Enter: Harry Styles, our 'Jack'. Not only did he relish the opportunity to allow for the brilliant Florence Pugh to hold center stage as our 'Alice', but he infused every scene with a nuanced sense of humanity."

Wilde also had only praise for Pugh, calling her a "director's dream" in another Instagram post. "I will forever be grateful for you, Flo. It was an honor to be your captain. Can’t wait for the world to see the astonishing work you’ve put into this movie," she wrote. 

Alongside Pugh and Styles, Don’t Worry Darling stars Chris Pine, KiKi Layne, Gemma Chan and Nick Kroll with Wilde playing a supporting role. The movie is the director’s sophomore feature after 2019’s high school comedy Booksmart. Pugh and Styles play a married couple, with Pugh’s housewife beginning to doubt her sanity after she starts to notice strange goings-on in her neighbourhood – some behind the scenes shots of the pair in period costume recently hit the internet.

While we wait for Don't Worry Darling to hit the big screen, make sure you've caught up on all the best movies of 2020.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.