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olivia wilde; florence pugh

Olivia Wildehas nothing but praise forFlorence Pugh, who stars in her upcoming movieDon’t Worry Darling.

In a newVarietycover story, Wilde, 38, admitted she was initially going to play the lead character of the movie, Alice, but cast Oscar nominee Pugh, 26, instead.

She added, “There was something about the youthfulness, the innocence, that really made sense for the story. If I was Alice, I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to be with a Jack who’s my age or older, and now we’re in a different age bracket.’ "

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olivia wilde

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She toldVariety, “There has been a lot out there that I largely don’t pay attention to. But the absurdity of invented clickbait and subsequent reaction regarding a nonexistent pay disparity between our lead and supporting actors really upset me.”

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Wilde added, “I’m a woman who has been in this business for over 20 years, and it’s something that I have fought for myself and others, especially being a director. There is absolutely no validity to those claims.”

Wilde also spoke about Styles and Pugh’s onscreen chemistry. “She was really a great supporter of his as someone who was newer to a film set. And he was such a great supporter of hers, as someone who understood it was her film,” Wilde said.

Though she didn’t directly address rumors of a potential behind-the-scenes feud with Pugh, Wilde shared that she feels that “tabloid media is a tool to pit women against one another and to shame them.”

Don’t Worry Darlingis in theaters Sept. 23.

source: people.com