Olivia Wilde juggles a lot of roles: actress, mum, director, girlfriend – but they’re not gelling all that well. Last week, tensions around her latest directorial project Don’t Worry Darling exploded, as Olivia was publicly accused of lying by actor Shia LaBeouf, while the movie’s star, Florence Pugh, seems to have distanced herself from the film.
It comes in the midst of an increasingly bitter custody battle with her ex, Jason Sudeikis, and now an insider tells heat that all the stress is taking its toll on Olivia’s relationship with Harry Styles.
“Olivia has taken such a battering recently,” says an insider close to the star, who began dating the 1D singer in 2020, shortly after ending things with her then-fiancé Jason. “This whole mess with Shia and Florence has Olivia worried sick it could damage her career. She’s bracing herself for the worst – especially if Don’t Worry Darling is a dud.”
Things kicked off last week after Olivia, 38, told Variety that she’d fired Shia over his “combative energy”, but the actor quickly responded, saying, “Firing me never took place, Olivia.” He then released a video showing the director asking him to return to set. Florence, 26, was rumoured to be unhappy with the film, and she failed to promote it on social media. The actress was said to have felt uncomfortable with the earlier casting of Shia, 36, and later annoyed when Harry, his replacement, became the director’s boyfriend.
All this drama couldn’t come at a worse time for Olivia – who’s mum to Otis, eight, and Daisy, five. She was served custody papers from Jason while on stage in April, which she said felt like “an attack”. And, our source says, “The case could run for years. A lot more is likely to come out and Jason’s powerful Hollywood friends seem to have the knives out for Olivia – and Harry.”
The source adds that, understandably, it’s taken its toll on the lovebirds – with the situation not helped by Harry, 28, currently being on tour. “He’s busier than ever,” we’re told. “Olivia’s trying not to lean on him, but he’s one of the only people she can open up to. She’s been calling him for advice at all hours, which isn’t easy when he’s midway through a packed-out tour. Every day seems to brings a new nightmare and she’s worried he will get fed up and move on. There’s only so much this relationship can take.”
