Harry Styles and Florence Pugh ‘KISSED on the set of Don’t Worry Darling’

Harry Styles and Florence Pugh reportedly shared an offscreen kiss after developing ‘instant chemistry’ on the set of Don’t Worry Darling – weeks before the One Direction star began a relationship with its married director, Olivia Wilde. 

The  beleaguered film, in which Styles and Pugh play a married couple, has been overshadowed by a series of controversies both before and after its memorably awkward premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September. 

Notably, Pugh failed to acknowledge Wilde on the red carpet following an on-set dispute – thought to be sparked by the actress’s discomfort at her director embarking on a very public relationship with Styles while shooting the film on location in Los Angeles. 

Claims: Harry Styles and Florence Pugh reportedly shared an offscreen kiss after developing ‘instant chemistry’ on the set of Don’t Worry Darling – weeks before the One Direction star began a relationship with its married director, Olivia Wilde

And sources claim their fall-out stems from the initial chemistry shared by Pugh and her screen husband before he became romantically involved with Wilde. 

An insider told The Sun: ‘Harry and Florence had chemistry from the off, which translated incredibly well on-screen. One night they had a bit of a snog, all very light-hearted and a bit of fun, and that was that.

‘It was being gossiped about by a couple of members of production, otherwise no one would have known. Harry was very much single at the time and Florence had separated from Zach Braff, although she’d kept the split quiet to — ironically — avoid headlines.

‘There was no cheating or misbehaviour from anyone. However, later on, Harry and Olivia started spending more time together — sneaking off for coffees, hanging out in one another’s trailers, and sharing small, routine intimacies.’

Feud: Sources claim Pugh and Wilde’s fall-out stems from the initial chemistry shared by Pugh and her screen husband before he became romantically involved with Wilde (Olivia pictured at the Dont Worry Darling premiere in September 2022)

The insider added that it was clear Harry and Olivia had a real connection and Florence was reportedly unhappy when photos of them holding hands surfaced.

There was already said to be tension between the two women, with Harry and Olivia’s burgeoning romance making things worse. 

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Styles, Pugh and Wilde for comment.  

Pugh avoided promoting her leading role in Don’t Worry Darling amid rumours of a feud between her and Wilde. 

The actress missed the photocall for the movie during the Venice Film Festival and kept her distance from the director on the red carpet. 

Others noticed that the actress sparsely posted about the film on her social media accounts, which has also fuelled rumours of friction on the set.

A source said: ‘Harry was very much single at the time and Florence had separated from Zach Braff, although she’d kept the split quiet to — ironically — avoid headlines’

A report from Page Six in late July claimed that Pugh was upset with Wilde because she was hooking up with leading man Harry Styles during the production — while still engaged to Jason Sudeikis — before they split in November.

‘I can tell you for a fact that Flo seeing Olivia and Harry all over each other on set did not go down well as Olivia was still with Jason when she first hooked up with Harry,’ the source said.

Pugh was asked by an Italian journalist  at the event about what she found ‘inspiring’ in the film and appeared to make a sly dig at Wilde.

She responded: ‘I think it’s very very inspiring to see a woman push back and say ‘no’, and question everything. It’s very exciting to see a woman do that on and off camera.’

Asked when she ‘says ‘no’ off camera, Pugh jokingly responded: ‘When do I say ‘no’? When someone says I can’t have cake.’

Tension: The insider added that it was clear Harry and Olivia had a real connection and Florence was reportedly unhappy when photos of them holding hands surfaced

The rumours of tensions intensified after Wilde suggested Pugh should have a ‘wake-up call’ in a leaked video this month.

The video was leaked after Shia refuted Olivia’s claim that he had been fired from the project, and in the footage Wilde can be heard encouraging LaBeouf to stay signed on to the film, rather than leave it, while also hinting at some apparent tension with Florence.  

Wilde  gave an interview to Variety where she said Shia LaBeouf’s process was ‘not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions’ after the role was ultimately recast with her now-boyfriend Harry.

In response, Shia supplied alleged evidence to refute Wilde’s claims, including an email he sent to the director and a video that she allegedly sent to him, proving he walked away from the film rather than being fired.

Shia claimed he ‘quit the film due to lack of rehearsal time’ on August 17th in 2020, and forwarded Variety two emails that he claims he recently sent to Wilde. 

Some studio sources have claimed to the publication that Shia had been fired, while another said his departure was down to a ‘collective recognition that LaBeouf’s style of acting wasn’t a good fit for Wilde’s approach as a director.’ 

Premiere: Florence (far right) missed the photocall for Don’t Worry Darling during the Venice Film Festival and kept her distance from Olivia (centre right) on the red carpet