Don’t Worry Darling: Chris Pine fans joke he’s ‘checked out’ of Venice film festival

Fans have joked that Chris Pine has “checked out” of the Venice Film Festival.

Pine stars in Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling, which premiered at the international cinema event on Monday night (5 September).

For months, the film, which has left critics mostly unenthused, has been plagued by reports of behind-the-scenes drama, including a rumoured “falling out” between Wilde and Florence Pugh, who plays the lead role.

Clips of Pine appearing to zone out during the press conference for the film and at the premiere later that evening have gone viral on social media.

One clip that has caught the particular attention of fans sees the actor sat alongside his co-star Harry Styles.

The camera zooms in on Pine’s face as Styles gives a somewhat convoluted answer to a reporter’s question.

“You know, my favourite thing about the movie is it feels like a movie,” Styles says, as his co-star appears to stare off into the distance. “It feels like a real go-to-the-theatre film, movie, that you know… the reason why you go, to watch something on the big screen.”

One fan commended Pine for “enduring this whole fiasco”, while another said: “You can almost see the screams catching in his throat.”

“Proof that Chris Pine is a good actor – he didn’t make a ‘what the f*** is this idiot on about’ face or burst into hysterical laughter listening to his co-star answer (if you can call it that) this question,” said someone else.

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Another wrote on Twitter: “Imagine being Chris Pine, a PROFESSIONAL actor. Flip phone is charged. Feminist theory books on deck for your down time between junkets. You show up to your cast HATING each other and you get stuck on a junket with a man who has seemingly just figured out what acting is? Wow.”

Speaking about the press conference, during which Wilde addressed the rumours of a “falling out” between herself and Pugh, a fifth person observed that Pine looked as if he was “astral projecting to the Swiss alps”.

The Star Trek actor was also seen putting on sunglasses for the premiere of his film later that night.

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“Chris Pine putting on his sunglasses as the lights cut… oh that man is taking a nap,” wrote one person alongside a clip.

Another added: “This is so funny. Chris does NOT wanna be there,” while someone else wrote: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone as completely checked out as Chris Pine is during the premiere of his new movie. It’s honestly impressive.”

The stylists for Pugh and Wilde appear to have both waded into the drama with their clients.

While appearing on the red carpet on Monday (5 September) evening, Pugh appeared to hint at the discord when asked by a journalist what she found “inspiring” in the film.

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“I think it’s very very inspiring to see a woman push back and say ‘no’, and question everything” she replied. “It’s very exciting to see a woman do that on and off camera.”

Wilde has previously said that the feud is nothing but “invented clickbait”, while Pugh has not commented on the rumours.

Early reviews of Don’t Worry Darling – including The Independent’s three-star review – have seen critics left unimpressed by the film, with Pugh’s performance nonetheless singled out for praise. Other critics have also heaped criticism on Styles’s performance.

You can read a full timeline of all the behind-the-scenes drama from Don’t Worry Darling here.

Don’t Worry Darling is released in cinemas on Friday 23 September.