"Don't Worry Darling" opened in theaters this weekend at the top of the box office after a seemingly endless promotional cycle that involved its fair share of drama, but just as it appeared as if the tension was in the past, one of the stars has spoken out, claiming she was cut from a large portion of the film.
Kiki Layne, who plays Margaret in the film, made the announcement on social media Sunday. Taking to Instagram, the actor shared video and photos of her and "Don't Worry Darling" co-star Ari'el Stachel, who she recently started a romantic relationship with.
"The best thing about #DontWorryDarling is that I was lucky enough to meet @arielstachel," she captioned the post. "They cut us from most of the movie, but we thriving in real life."
"Don't Worry Darling" has been surrounded by a string of controversies, most notably alleged tensions between director Olivia Wilde and star Florence Pugh, who reportedly have been feuding over the original casting, and firing, of Shia LaBeouf. However, over the weekend 40 members of the crew and production team dismissed the rumors.
"Any allegations about unprofessional behavior on the set of 'Don't Worry Darling' are completely false," a statement released on behalf of 40 cast and crew members to People read. The behind-the-scenes workers described Wilde as "an incredible leader and director" adding that "there was never a screaming match between our director and anyone, let alone a member of our cast," referencing a recent report claiming the onset feud between Wilde and Pugh.
"We are happy to put our names on this, as real people who worked on the film, and who have witnessed and benefitted from the collaborative and safe space Olivia creates as a director and leader," the statement read.
Pugh also offered some rare positive words about the film in a recent Instagram post.
"We met so many talented people, visited some insane locations, worked hard in the desert dust and looked good whilst doing so,” Pugh wrote in part.
"This film was such an epic story on such a large scale to shoot, all while during peak COVID times," she added. "For that I will always be grateful. To all of you who helped make this, your dedication and love was seen daily – thank you."