Questioning her perfect world. Don’t Worry Darling introduced Harry Styles and Florence Pugh‘s onscreen romance as it got tested by outside forces — but not before the couple shared some steamy moments.
In the sultry trailer, which debuted on Monday, May 2, Pugh, 26, plays a housewife named Alice in an experimental utopian community who is married to Styles’ Jake in the 1950s. Alice’s life starts to unravel as she discovers a disturbing truth about her husband’s glamorous company.
Pugh and Styles, 28, turn up the heat with several sex scenes before the actress’ character starts to question the world around them. “I need you to listen to me. Everyone is acting like I am crazy but I am not crazy,” the Black Widow star says during the sneak peek before Styles’ character points out, “Our life together. We could lose this.”
The psychological thriller, which is written by Katie Silberman, also stars Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll. The House alum, 38, directed Don’t Worry Darling in addition to her onscreen role.
The New York native recently teased her vision when it came to creating the movie’s theme. “I want you to imagine a life where you have everything you could want. Not just material, tangible things like a beautiful house, perfect weather and gorgeous cars,” she said during an early screening of the trailer at CinemaCon on Tuesday, April 26. “But also the things that really matter, like true love or the perfect partner or real trusted friendships and a purpose that feels meaningful.”
Wilde added: “What would it take for you to give up that life, that perfect life. What are you really willing to sacrifice to do what’s right? Are you willing to dismantle the system that’s designed to serve you?”
During the panel, the Booksmart director praised Pugh for being “brilliant, sexy, fierce and tough” in the leading role. “We knew this movie would live or die off her role,” Wilde shared.
The director later applauded Styles for his involvement while joking that he was “an up-and-coming actor with no other career” that she was aware of before calling his performance “nothing short of a revelation.”
Don’t Worry Darling previously made headlines during filming when Wilde and Styles were spotted holding hands off set in January 2021. At the time, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the duo formed a bond after the U.K. native joined the project in Shia LaBeouf‘s place.
“Harry and Olivia had chemistry almost instantaneously on set. It was only a matter of time before they got together,” the insider revealed, noting that Wilde and Styles didn’t address their romance on set. “Olivia and Harry were able to keep their relationship under wraps for a bit before it became public knowledge. They were very careful about it and even sleuthy at times, although the small group of people who were on set with them every day eventually figured it out.”
The In Time actress, who split from fiancé Jason Sudeikis several months prior, later gushed about her boyfriend’s commitment to his role in Don’t Worry Darling.
“Little known fact: most male actors don’t want to play supporting roles in female-led films,” she wrote in a lengthy Instagram post in February 2021. “The industry has raised them to believe it lessens their power (i.e financial value) to accept these roles, which is one of the reasons it’s so hard to get financing for movies focusing on female stories. No joke, it is harrrrrd to find actors who recognize why it might be worth it to allow for a woman to hold the spotlight.”
Wilde concluded: “Enter: @harrystyles, our ‘Jack.’ Not only did he relish the opportunity to allow for the brilliant @florencepugh to hold center stage as our ‘Alice,’ but he infused every scene with a nuanced sense of humanity,” Wilde continued. “He didn’t have to join our circus, but he jumped on board with humility and grace, and blew us away every day with his talent, warmth, and ability to drive backwards. 👊 #dontworrydarling.”
Don’t Worry Darling premieres in theaters on September 23.
