Olivia Wilde says Shia LaBeouf's exit from 'Don't Worry Darling' is 'so much more nuanced than can be explained in private texts released out of context'

• Olivia Wilde said Shia LeBeouf's now infamous exit from "Don't Worry Darling" was "nuanced."
• Wilde maintains that she fired LeBeouf after star Florence Pugh expressed discomfort with the actor.

Olivia Wilde said Shia LeBeouf's exit from "Don't Worry Darling" is much more "nuanced" than the stories circulating online.

"This issue is so much more nuanced than can be explained in private texts released out of context," Wilde told Vanity Fair of the drama surrounding her sophomore film, which premiered Monday at the Venice Film Festival.

LeBeouf exited the production of the film — in which he was initially cast as the lead opposite Florence Pugh — in 2020.

It was reported at the time, and recently implied by Wilde, that Wilde fired LeBeouf from the film after Pugh expressed discomfort with LeBeouf's behavior on set.

"My responsibility was towards her," Wilde told Vanity Fair. "I'm like a mother wolf. Making the call was tricky, but in a way he understood."

"He comes at his work with an intensity that can be combative," she added. "It wasn't the ethos that I demand in my productions. I want him to get well and to evolve because I think it's a great loss to the film industry when someone that talented is unable to work."

Just before the film's premiere, LeBeouf leaked text messages and emails that suggested he quit the film.

He also leaked a video from Wilde in which she encourages him to stay on board and now referred to Pugh as "Miss Flo."

"All I'll say is he was replaced, and there was no going forward with him. I wish him the best in his recovery," Wilde told Vanity Fair.