The ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ cinematographer says it was “the smoothest set” he’s ever been on “amid the noise that it was chaos behind the scenes.
“When I hear there are rumors of acrimony on set, I dismiss them. It wasn’t apparent at all, to be honest,” insisted Matthew Libatique on the latest episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s “Behind the Screen” Podcast.
“From my point of view, the stories are completely wrong when it comes to being on set,” he repeated, adding, “I can’t talk about post-production at all.”
The industry veteran – who has worked on films such as ‘Requiem for a Dream’, ‘Black Swan’ and Bradley Cooper’s ‘A Star Is Born’ – admitted, however, there could have been drama after his departure.
“Whatever happened, it happened long after I left… I never witnessed anything. And I didn’t feel anything. You know, you have the feeling that maybe something is going on and I didn’t feel anything,” said Libatique, 54.
He also praised director Olivia Wilde, saying she “believed in every body on set.”
Hollywood has been buzzing with a rift between Wilde and film star Florence Pugh since early summer, when fans began noticing the 26-year-old ‘Midsommar’ star was not promoting ” Don’t Worry Darling” on social media.
Page Six reported in late July that Pugh and Wilde, 38, had fallen out over the director’s romance with Harry Styles – which we first confirmed in January 2021, just months after she announced her date. separation from Jason Sudeikis.
“I can tell you for sure that Flo seeing Olivia and Harry on top of each other on set didn’t go well because Olivia was still with Jason when she first met Harry,” said a source at Page Six about the feud between the women.
Wilde flatly denied that the two relationships overlap, describing the rumor to Vanity Fair as “the complete idea that I left Jason for Harry.”
Meanwhile, there was even more drama with the film – a psychological thriller set in the 1950s – when Wilde claimed that she fired Shia LaBeoufwho was later replaced by her now-boyfriend Styles, from the production due to her on-set behavior.
“A lot of things came to light after that that really troubled me, behavior-wise,” Wilde said in August. “For our film, what we really needed was an incredibly supportive energy. Especially with a film like this, I knew I was going to ask Florence to be in very vulnerable situations, and my priority was for her to feel safe and supported.
LaBeouf denied Wilde’s claims that she fired him and wrote to him, “You and I both know my reasons for leaving. I left your film because your actors and I didn’t have time to rehearse.
He then asked the director of “Booksmart” to “correct the narrative”.
Around the same time, leaked video appeared to show Wilde pleading with LaBeouf to stay on film, hinting at drama between LaBeouf and Pugh.
“I think that might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re ready to give it a shot with me, with us,” she said.
In September, all eyes were on the cast of the Venice Film Festival. Pugh – who is filming ‘Dune 2’ – arrived late after missing the press conference and skipping the film’s premiere in New York.
“Florence is a force, we are so grateful that she is able to do this tonight despite being in production,” Wilde said at the film festival. “As far as all the endless tabloid gossip and noise goes, the internet feeds on itself. I don’t think I need to contribute to that.
