Chris Pine Denies Harry Styles Spat On Him At Drama-Filled Don’t Worry Darling Venice Premiere

Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

Chris Pine Denies Harry Styles Spat On Him At Drama-Filled Don’t Worry Darling Venice Premiere

Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

It’ll be another month before the movie Don’t Worry Darling arrives in theaters, but there’s already very little chance that the film itself will be able to overshadow the backstage drama surrounding its production and release. There have been all sorts of reports on this whole thing — a star/director romance, a star/director beef, Shia LaBoeuf swinging in to make the whole thing about himself. Right at the center of much of this mess, we’ve got Harry Styles, one of the biggest pop stars in the world. Depending on who you believe, Styles may also be the type of guy who just straight-up randomly spits on a co-star when that co-star can’t do anything about it.

Last night, Don’t Worry Darling had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Since then, a lot of fans have been analyzing a split-second of body language between Styles and his co-star Chris Pine. The two sat next to each other during the premiere, and there’s a moment where it really looks like Styles leaned over Pine’s chair and spat in his direction. None of the videos have any spit, but the slowed-down footage sure looks like Styles leaning over to hock a loogie and then Pine just briefly reacting with disbelief. Here’s the video that people have been poring over frame-by-frame:

And here it is from another angle, where you can’t really see anything out of the ordinary happening.

People are also acting like this image of Chris Pine zoning out as Harry Styles answers an interview question is some kind of indication of beef, though it seems just as likely that he was just bored.

If I was Harry Styles and I was wearing a butterfly collar with a six-foot wingspan, I probably wouldn’t be trying to spit at anyone. But I’m fairly certain that I am not Harry Styles wearing a butterfly collar with a six-foot wingspan. In any case, the other big story around the Don’t Worry Darling premiere involves star Florence Pugh, who skipped the film’s panel discussion, allegedly refusing to interact with director Olivia Wilde in any way; News.com.au has a lengthy breakdown. This whole thing does not seem to augur well for the film itself. But who knows! Hollywood, baby!

UPDATE: In a statement to People, a representative for Pine denies Styles spat on him. “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,” the statement begins. “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.”

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