Today host Karl Stefanovic has weighed in on the ‘spit heard round the world’.
The Channel Nine presenter said he does not believe Harry Styles meant any harm when he allegedly spat at his co-star Chris Pine at the premiere of their movie Don’t Worry Darling at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday.
While social media users furiously speculated about whether or not the spit even took place, Stefanovic has put forward the theory that it was just an in-joke between friends – albeit a rather unusual one.
Sources close to Styles have denied he spat on Pine, after footage of the moment went viral on Twitter this week. Meanwhile, a representative for Pine has gone on the record to refute the ‘ridiculous story’, dismissing the video as an ‘online illusion’.
Today host Karl Stefanovic (left, with Allison Langdon) has weighed in on the ‘spit heard round the world’
Speaking on the Today show on Wednesday, Stefanovic offered his take on the clip, which has been viewed millions of times and is being touted by fans as evidence the critically panned film was plagued by behind-the-scenes tensions.
He shared his thoughts after Brooke Boney’s entertainment news bulletin at 6am, dismissing the alleged spit as a ‘boy joke’ between the actors – who both insist they have a good professional relationship.
‘I reckon it looks like a boy joke,’ he said. Meanwhile, his co-host Allison Langdon didn’t look quite so convinced as she studied the footage.
Boney also didn’t seem to agree with Stefanovic, noting the expression on Pine’s face. ‘Do you reckon?’ she said. ‘But he looks genuinely annoyed, that’s the thing.’
The Today hosts’ speculation comes after Pine, 42, vehemently denied Styles, 28, spat on him at the Venice Film Festival, despite rampant Twitter speculation.
A video shared online showed the former One Directioner bend over Pine before sitting down, a motion which some speculated was Styles spitting on the Star Trek actor.
Immediately after, Pine – who was clapping as Styles took his assigned seat next to him – seemed to stop in his tracks, look down at his leg and stick out his tongue in disbelief.
The laughing actor then shot an amused look back at the pop star, who was too busy adjusting his jacket and smiling around the room to notice Pine’s reaction.
Fans said it appeared as though Styles spat on Pine in the short clip, amid ongoing controversies surrounding their film Don’t Worry Darling.
A video shared online showed the former One Directioner bend over Pine before sitting down, a motion which some speculated was Styles spitting on the Star Trek actor
Immediately after, Pine – who was clapping as Styles took his assigned seat next to him at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday – seemed to stop in his tracks and look down at his leg
Stefanovic shared his thoughts after Brooke Boney’s (pictured) entertainment news bulletin at 6am, dismissing the alleged spit as a ‘boy joke’ between the actors
But a representative for Pine told DailyMail.com: ‘This is a ridiculous story… a complete fabrication and the result of an odd online illusion that is clearly deceiving and allows for foolish speculation.’
‘Just to be clear, Harry Styles did NOT spit on Chris Pine,’ she continued.
‘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.’
DailyMail.com has also reached out to Styles’ representatives for comment.
Another video from the so-called ‘Spitgate’ incident, filmed by Variety’s co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh, shows a different angle and seems to last a few seconds more.
It appears to show Pine and Styles chatting briefly after the apparent incident, though it is unclear what was said during the interaction.
Styles seems to be having a relatively polite conversation with his co-star, which would be unlikely if he had just spat on him.
Meanwhile, separate footage has gone viral of Pine appearing to zone out as Styles, a relative newcomer to the film industry, rambles about the craft of film acting next to him on an interview panel.
Again, fans are speculating this is more proof of alleged tensions between the pair.
The clip, which has been viewed millions of times, is being touted by fans as evidence the critically panned film was plagued by behind-the-scenes tensions. (Left: director Olivia Wilde)
After much anticipation, Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling finally had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival.
Before the film, hundreds of screaming Styles fans swarmed the edges of the red carpet trying to get a glimpse of him.
His rapturous reception made the Timothée Chalamet mania seen on Friday seem modest in comparison.
Lead actress Florence Pugh also made a movie star entrance on the Lido donning a sparkling, off-the-shoulder Valentino dress and, like Styles, stopping to talk to fans on her way down the carpet.
By the time the premiere was over, audiences took to their feet, giving Don’t Worry Darling a five-minute ovation, and Styles could be seen in the balcony giving his co-star Nick Kroll a big hug.
After much anticipation, Don’t Worry Darling finally had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. (Pictured from left: Gemma Chan, Harry Styles, Sydney Chandler, director Olivia Wilde, Chris Pine, Florence Pugh and Nick Kroll on the red carpet)
Yet premiere day did little to tamp down intrigue about the film and its stars. Some even took note of who was sitting next to who in the theatre.
Many keyed in on the film’s press conference earlier in the day, with hopes that reports about behind-the-scenes tension with Pugh would be addressed or clarified.
Wilde, before the premiere, said she didn’t want to contribute to ‘the endless tabloid gossip’ and ‘the noise’.
‘The Internet feeds itself,’ Wilde said. ‘I don’t need to contribute, I think it’s significantly well-nourished.’
Pine’s representative has denied the spitting rumours in a statement to DailyMail.com
Meanwhile, a video has gone viral of Pine appearing to zone out as Styles, a relative newcomer to the film industry, rambles about the craft of film acting next to him on an interview panel
Again, fans are speculating this is more proof of alleged tensions between the pair
Pugh is in the middle of production on Dune 2, a massive blockbuster, and is expected to go straight back after her Venice obligations. Though the star of the film, she did not attend the press conference as her flight had not yet landed.
‘Florence is a force and we are so grateful that she is able to make it tonight,’ Wilde said. ‘I know as a director how disruptive it is to lose an actor even for a day.’
Behind-the-scenes drama rarely extends beyond internal industry gossip, but the question of exactly what happened during the making of Don’t Worry Darling has become a source of global intrigue.
Lack of clarity about everything from Shia LaBeouf’s departure from the film early on, to Pugh’s perceived lack of public support for the project on her social media accounts have been simmering on TikTok and Twitter for some time – and then furthered by a report in the Hollywood newsletter Puck, citing various anonymous studio and production sources.
Wilde and Styles (pictured in London in March) started dating each other while filming, apparently to the dismay of co-star Florence Pugh
Wilde, for her part, has been nothing but effusive about her lead actress, who is rumoured to have disapproved of the director dating Styles during filming.
In an interview with The Associated Press, she spoke at length an about Pugh’s extraordinary talent saying that what she did with the role was ‘singularly brilliant’ and that the character of Alice is a ‘heroine for the ages’.
Still, questions remain about why Pugh has not been posting much about the film on her Instagram. She didn’t hype the trailer, or say anything about getting into Venice.
It is worth noting that Pugh’s Dune 2 co-star Chalamet had a similarly brief stay in Venice for his film Bones and All.
It’s likely to be the only appearance he’ll make on behalf of that film, but no one wrote any headlines about Chalamet ‘limiting’ his press engagements
Wilde herself also became a tabloid fixture after paparazzi caught on to her off-screen relationship with Styles. And then there was the CinemaCon moment, in which Wilde was served custody papers by her ex Jason Sudeikis during a presentation about her movie on stage in front of thousands of industry professionals and theatre owners.
Then in the past few weeks, all the little threads seemed to catch fire at once.
Much of that was stoked by LaBeouf, who came out of the woodwork to contest a two-year-old narrative that he’d been fired from the project. Ultimately, his role went to Styles.
Wilde, in a Variety cover story, is not directly quoted saying she fired him. She did offer: ‘His process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions. He has a process that, in some ways, seems to require a combative energy, and I don’t personally believe that is conducive to the best performances.’
In response, LaBeouf sent private emails, texts and video messages to Variety to prove his case that he actually quit due to lack of rehearsal time.
Don’t Worry Darling is a mid-century-styled psychological thriller about a picture-perfect couple Alice (Pugh) and Jack (Styles) who live in an experimental community in the desert
The video message, in which she tries to convince LaBeouf to stay on as Jack, was subsequently leaked online in which she condescendingly calls Pugh ‘Miss Flo’.
The moderator of the press conference cut off a reporter attempting to ask about LaBeouf, saying that Wilde had already answered that in her comment about ‘tabloid gossip’ and noise.
LaBeouf, who is heading to court next year on abuse allegations from his ex FKA Twigs happens to also be in Venice this year with the film Padre Pio.
The press conference stuck to the themes of the film, a mid-century-styled psychological thriller about a picture-perfect couple Alice (Pugh) and her husband Jack (Styles) who live in an experimental community in the desert.
‘We were really interested in the kind of problematic nature of nostalgia itself,’ Wilde said. ‘In this film everything is a metaphor… everything that is beautiful is also sinister. That is by design.’
The film is playing out of competition at the festival in the lead-up to its theatrical release on September 23.
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