Harry Styles stars alongside Florence Pugh and Chris Pine in girlfriend Olivia Wilde’s next directorial feature Don’t Worry Darling. In Harry’s Rolling Stone cover interview, Olivia recalled a moment where Harry actually “left us all in tears.”
The scene is when Harry’s character Jack gets promoted during a big company gala. “It’s a strange scene, full of fascist references, and a disturbing amount of male rage,” Olivia revealed. “The scene called for him to stand onstage with Frank [Chris Pine] and chant their creepy slogan, ‘Who’s world is it? Ours!’ over and over again. Dark as hell. But Harry took it to another level. He was so fully in the moment, he began screaming the lines to the crowd, in this primal roar, that was way more intense than anything we expected from the scene.”
At that moment, Chris backed away from Harry. “The camera operator followed him as he paced around the stage like a kind of wild animal,” Olivia continued. “We were all gobsmacked at the monitor. I think even Harry was surprised by it. Those are the best moments for an actor — when you’re completely outside your body.”
Harry went through the audition process for Jack in Don’t Worry Darling, but he initially didn’t get the part. Shia LaBeouf was cast in the role, but he was reportedly fired by Olivia due to his on-set behavior. After Shia’s exit, the Don’t Worry Darling team circled back around on Harry and he was ultimately cast in the role.
Harry’s character is married to Alice, played by Florence. They move to an experimental community called The Victory Project, and Alice starts to suspect that her husband’s company is hiding disturbing secrets.
“We were looking for someone with innate warmth and palpable charm,” Olivia said about Harry. “The entire story depended on the audience believing in Jack.”
Olivia and Harry met on the set of Don’t Worry Darling in 2020. Olivia directed the film and also has a supporting role. They went public with their relationship in January 2021 and have been together ever since. Don’t Worry Darling will be released in theaters on September 23.