When it comes to Harry Styles and Chris Pine’s ‘Spitgate’, there’s a simple explanation

If the chaos and gossip surrounding ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ shows us anything, we readers love a bit of drama – no matter how ridiculous or bizzare, writes Clemence Michallon

Did Harry Styles hurl his saliva in Chris Pines’ direction? Probably not... (Getty)

There was once a time when the mention of the film Don’t Worry Darling triggered nothing but excitement in me. I was looking forward to this film in the purest way. The trailer, which has aired before practically every film I’ve seen recently in the US, promised a dark tale of domesticity gone wrong. I wasn’t able to tell exactly what the plot would be, but I didn’t need to be told the details: all I knew was that this was going to be a story about wives living in a falsely idyllic community, under the watchful gazes of their (lying?) husbands, and that one of them was going to face some amount of danger in a quest for the truth.

I was intrigued by the cast, too: Florence Pugh in the lead role? Yes! Harry Styles as her husband? Sure! Gemma Chan? Absolutely! Chris Pine as the apparent leader of whatever ominous project the wives are trapped in? Deal me in! And then, the promotion started, and with it, the drama. So much drama that the words Don’t Worry Darling come with this additional layer: the noises, the memes, the confusion.

I’m still excited to see the film, mind you. But it’s been… interesting to watch it all unfold from afar, for sure. The details are too convoluted to get into here – this timeline, however, will provide a thorough walk-through – but rumours of feuds and alleged disputes among the cast have been making headlines for weeks. Things came to a head at the Venice Film Festival, which was attended by the cast of Don’t Worry Darling on Monday (5 September).