Harry Styles' diehard fans, who fiercely defended him on Twitter, have expressed their disappointment the singer didn't explicitly deny the spitting claims. Photo / AP
Harry Styles' diehard fans, who fiercely defended him on Twitter, have expressed their disappointment the singer didn't explicitly deny the spitting claims. Photo / AP
Harry Styles has addressed claims he spat on Don't Worry Darlings cast member Chris Pine at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday, in a cheeky address to fans as a gig in New York.
"It's wonderful to be back in New York, I just popped very quickly to Venice to spit on Chris Pine," the popstar said as the room erupted in squeals and applause.
Styles laughed as he continued: "Our job tonight is to entertain you, I promise you we're going to do our absolute very best," urging the crowd to have "as much fun as they possibly can".
Harry Styles' diehard fans, who fiercely defended him on Twitter, have expressed their disappointment the singer didn't explicitly deny the spitting claims. Photo / AP
Harry Styles: "It's wonderful, wonderful, wonderful to be back in New York. I just popped very quickly to Venice to spit on Chris Pine." pic.twitter.com/TUGOSoQPxw
It comes after Pine's reps rubbished the claims as "complete fabrication" in a statement to People on Wednesday.
"Just to be clear, Harry Styles did not spit on Chris Pine. There is nothing but respect between these two men and any suggestion otherwise is a blatant attempt to create drama that simply does not exist," it said.
Footage of Styles taking his seat at the Don't Worry Darling premiere on Tuesday has divided the internet, spawning thousands of memes and theories surrounding the reported feud between the cast of the film.
Another said, "Can't believe i've been defending u from spit allegation and ur here GIGGLING ABOUT ITTTTT."
In the clip, Styles is seen jerking his head towards Pine's lap as he bends to take his seat, with the actor freezing mid-clap and staring into his lap with a bemused smile.
As the former One Direction member sat down, he looked everywhere but at Pine, giving fans more reason to believe in the alleged saliva assault.
From left, Gemma Chan, Harry Styles, Sydney Chandler, director Olivia Wilde, Chris Pine, Florence Pugh and Nick Kroll at the premiere in Venice. Photo / AP
Things weren't going smoothly for the Don't Worry Darling cast on Tuesday amid director Olivia Wilde and lead Florence Pugh's reported feud.
During the event, Pine appeared to space out while Styles fumbled questions at a press conference Pugh opted to skip, despite being in Venice at around the same time. He later made an enthusiastic display when Pugh arrived on the red carpet, bending down to take photos of the star and leading fans to believe he had taken her side in the drama.
Meanwhile, awkward footage of Styles refusing to be photographed next to Wilde, who the popstar has been in a relationship with since September 2020, has sparked speculation the couple have split.
In the video, Styles, 28, can be seen being ushered to stand next to Wilde, 38, on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival, but appears to snub her.
Instead, he fist pumps Nick Kroll, refuses to make eye contact with Wilde and ultimately positions himself between Gemma Chan and Sydney Chandler.
Reports suggest cast tension began when Wilde and Styles formed a romance on set, allegedly while Wilde was still in a long-term relationship with Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis.
From left, Harry Styles, Gemma Chan, Chris Pine and director Olivia Wilde at the photo call for Don't Worry Darling at the Venice Film Festival. Photo / AP
The former couple, who share two children together, announced their split after nine years together and in January, Wilde was pictured hand-in-hand with Styles attending a friend's wedding.
At the time, sources cited Wilde's relationship with Styles as the main reason for her engagement breakdown, with one insider telling New York Post at the time the duo had an ongoing affair, leaving Sudeikis distraught.
Pugh's beef with Wilde is thought to have stemmed from the alleged affair.
Florence Pugh skips out
Pugh, the 26-year-old star of Wilde's Don't Worry Darling, sparked a frenzy online with her brief yet dramatic appearance at the Venice Film Festival after refusing to attend the press panel with the rest of the cast.
On Monday, Variety reported that Pugh would not be present at the press panel due to her flight arriving too late. Wilde later cited "scheduling conflicts" as the reason. Pugh is currently filming Dune 2 in Budapest.
Fellow Dune star Timothee Chalamet arrived in Venice two days prior, so it may be Pugh simply opted out of facing awkward questions about tensions on the set of the film relating to Styles' on-set romance with Wilde, and disgraced actor Shia LaBeouf's "firing".
On Twitter, fans labelled Pugh's move "iconic", with a clip of the Little Women star sashaying through Venice with an Aperol Spritz in hand.
florence pugh avoiding the conference and its drama at the venice film festival and enjoying a spritz. this is what i call iconic behaviour, no one is doing it like her pic.twitter.com/G7iPdXp45N
Inside the conference, Wilde was tasked with dodging questions about the scandal, refusing to add fuel to the fire.
After gushing over Pugh's performance, she said: "As for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, I mean, the internet feeds itself. I don't feel the need to contribute. I think it's sufficiently well-nourished."
"Miss Flo" and the Shia LaBeouf drama
Online, both Wilde's and Pugh's stylists fanned the flames even further, posting subtle references to the stars' behind-the-scenes clash.
Following the press conference, Wilde's stylist, Karla Welch, took to Instagram to share a scenic picture with the words: "There's always more to the story…"
Just hours later, Pugh's stylist, Rebecca Corbin Murray, shared a series of pictures of Pugh dressed for the premiere, and captioned it "Miss Flo" – an apparent dig at the director, who referred to the actor by that nickname in a leaked video call with Shia LaBeouf.
Florence Pugh attended the Venice Film Festival but didn't make it to the press panel with the rest of the cast. Photo / AP
Photos have since emerged of members of Pugh's team wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the moniker "Miss Flo".
It comes after after Wilde claimed she fired disgraced star LaBeouf to keep the cast "safe" from his "combative energy".
LaBeouf clapped back at her allegations, with footage emerging shortly after of Wilde begging the actor to stay on the film in a video message, hinting at a disagreement with "Miss Flo".
