On the evening of Monday, September 5th, 2022, the internet wanted to know one thing and one thing only: Did Harry Styles really just spit on Chris Pine?
No matter how many times people play the footage, the truth may never come out. But there’s another question we might be able to get to the bottom of: Why would anyone think they did it?
Styles and Pine are currently promoting their new movie, don’t worry darlingDirector: Olivia Wilde (book smart) and co-stars midsummeris Florence Pugh. The production has been at the center of a firestorm of celebrity gossip for over a year, culminating in yesterday’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, which produced this somber but extraordinary piece of footage:
Styles takes his seat next to Pine to watch the film and briefly bends over his co-star. Pine freezes in mid-clapping and looks down at his lap as if something just landed there, or maybe on his shoe. He smiles and shakes his head slightly as if in disbelief before making eye contact with Style. Both remain smiling.
It’s a mesmerizing clip that sees all of Twitter freeze, zoom and enhance in search of some untold truth. Does Styles purse his lips and jerk his head forward infinitely slightly? Maybe. On the other hand, is Pine just looking down to pick up the glasses that fell on his seat? Could be. It’s really Pine’s reaction that sells it, plus the mismatched, summery glamor of the setting: Wild cascading lemon-yellow dress at left of frame, Styles’ electric-blue suit and flamboyant shirt lapels at right, Pine’s country-club bow tie and sockless ankles pinched between them.
Here’s another perspective, no longer meaningful, but lasting a little longer, showing the two men seemingly exchanging friendly enough words after the alleged incident.
To understand what’s behind the frenzy surrounding the clip, though, you have to look at the context: the whole, tormented, gossipy saga of don’t worry darling, which guaranteed that footage of the film’s stars was combed through at its premiere and body language analyzed down to an inch of their lives. This wasn’t even the first Pine and Styles meme of the Day.
Here is a short summary:
- savages Dating Styles reportedly began During production, around the time she split from her partner Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso), with whom she has two children. Wilde and Styles are said to still be in a relationship but have not gone public at any point.
- Wilde was served with legal papers from Sudeikis regarding custody of their children while she was on stage at the CinemaCon show in Las Vegaspresent don’t worry darling. This isn’t necessarily relevant to the cast drama, but it’s still incredible that it happened.
- In a recent variety profile, Wilde claimed she fired troubled actor Shia LaBeouf (who is being accused of assault by his ex, singer FKA Twigs) from the film and replaced him with Styles. LaBeouf immediately contradictedsaid he had given up production.
- Speculation of a rift between Pugh and Wilde was rife, fueled by an apparent lack of enthusiasm on Pugh’s part to promote the film. There are rumours that Pugh questioned Wilde and Styles’ relationship on set.
- Pugh did not attend the Venice press conference don’t worry darlingofficially due to a scheduling conflict with filming for Dune: Part 2. Minutes later, she made a splashy appearance at the festival but gave no interviews.
- In a much-remembered moment, Pine stared a thousand feet during Styles’ responses at the press conference.
- In his own comments, Pine was full of praise for Pugh, who he also saw photograph lovinglybut he didn’t mention Wilde or Styles much.
- Wilde, Styles and Pugh seemed to go out of their way not to be photographed side by side in Venice, often having Pine and co-star Gemma Chan act as human buffers
- Amidst all this, reviews for the film were released and was decided mixed.
With all the gossip flying and almost none of it addressed by the people involved on the record, interest in the cast’s public appearance in Venice was high. The irony is that Pine, a relatively disinterested viewer who had kept his distance from controversy throughout, found himself in the eye of the storm and the primary focus of Monday’s images.
What could have motivated Styles to disrespect his fellow actor so much? Some speculate that the younger star was offended by Pine’s eye rolls at the press conference, while others speculate that Pine’s apparent siding with Pugh got his nose out of whack in the still apocryphal feud with Wilde.
We’ll probably never know. From the alleged expectorant in Venice to the alleged on-set romance that started it all, absolutely none of it don’t worry darling scandal documented. In the midst of this storm of mesmerizing, annoying nothingness, we’re all Chris Pine: we blankly distance ourselves amidst the noise, or ruefully laugh at the chaos that’s just been dumped in our laps.
The film itself was completely overshadowed by all of this (although there is a school of thought that his box office will benefit – after all, there is no such thing as bad publicity). In a few weeks we’ll be able to judge it on its own terms, and for some – certainly its publicists and possibly Chris Pine – that will be a blessed relief.
don’t worry darling hits theaters on September 23, 2022.
