Shia LaBeouf says Olivia Wilde is basically lying about their experience together on “Don’t Worry Darling.”

Earlier this week, Wilde said in a Variety interview that she fired LaBeouf because he couldn’t get along with the cast.

Now LaBeouf has fired back. He sent a letter to Wilde, and copied Variety, denying the whole thing. He writes: “Firing me never took place, Olivia. And while I fully understand the attractiveness of pushing that story because of the current social landscape, the social currency that brings. It is not the truth.“

LaBeouf’s entire letter, via Variety, is below. He is adamant. I have to say, I’ve spent a lot of time talking to Shia LaBeouf over the years. He’s not the Bad Guy portrayed in the press. Whatever difficulties he’s had, he’s tried to fix. Watching the movie he made about his childhood, “Honey Boy,” gives a lot of insight into his childhood and background. He’s a fine actor.

I suspect this whole exchange will become part of the “Don’t Worry, Darling” narrative. I don’t know how future interviewers and red carpet press will be able to ignore it.

And by the way, Shia has the receipts on this including texts and a video from Wilde that he presented to Variety. They’re copied to Warner Bros’ Toby Emmerich, who produced the film.

Shia’s letter follows:

Olivia,

I hope this finds you inspired, purposeful, fulfilled & well. I pray every night that you & your family have health, happiness, & everything God would give me. No joke, every night before I sleep.

I have a little girl, Isabel; she is five months old and just beginning to develop the last half of her laugh; it’s AMAZING. Mia, my wife & I have found each other again & are journeying toward a healthy family with love and mutual respect.

I have embarked on a journey that feels redemptive & righteous (dirty word but fitting). I write to you now with 627 days of sobriety and a moral compass that never existed before my great humbling that was the last year and a quarter of my life. I reached out to you a few months ago to make amends; & I still pray one day, you can find space in your heart to forgive me for the failed collaboration we shared.

What inspired this email today is your latest Variety story. I am greatly honored by your words on my work; thank you, that felt good to read. I am a little confused about the narrative that I was fired, however. You and I both know the reasons for my exit. I quit your film because your actors & I couldn’t find time to rehearse. I have included as a reminder the screenshots of our text exchange on that day, and my text to Tobey.

I know that you are beginning your press run for DWD and that the news of my firing is attractive clickbait, as I am still persona-non-grata and may remain as such for the rest of my life. But, speaking of my daughter, I often think about the news articles she will read when she is literate. And though I owe, and will owe for the rest of my life, I only owe for my actions.

My failings with Twigs are fundamental and real, but they are not the narrative that has been presented. There is a time and a place to deal with such things, and I am trying to navigate a nuanced situation with respect for her and the truth, hence my silence. But this situation with your film and my “firing” will never have a court date with which to deal with the facts. If lies are repeated enough in the public they become truth. And so, it makes it that much harder for me to crawl out of the hole I have dug with my behaviors, to be able to provide for my family.

Firing me never took place, Olivia. And while I fully understand the attractiveness of pushing that story because of the current social landscape, the social currency that brings. It is not the truth. So I am humbly asking, as a person with an eye toward making things right, that you correct the narrative as best you can. I hope none of this negatively effects you, and that your film is successful in all the ways you want it to be.

Every Blessing To You,

Shia

The question now is, will we survive the hype for “Don’t Worry, Darling”?

Pop superstar Harry Styles and Florence Pugh star in what looks like a remake of “The Stepford Wives” directed by OIivia Wilde. The movie opens officially on September 23rd, but first premieres at the Venice Film Festival. It may also be shown at the Telluride Film Festival, but not in Toronto where Styles “serious” movie, “My Policeman,” is getting a big premiere.

The PR around “Don’t Worry, Darling” seems unabated at the moment. First of all, Styles is on the cover of Rolling Stone in a fairly fact-free piece that skirts many salient issues including Styles’ sexual orientation (he’s straight, but loves to leave the door open, very English), and his relationship with Wilde (are they really a couple?).

Then there’s Wilde, who has two children with “Ted Lasso” actor Jason Sudeikis. It seems as though she and Styles might have had an affair during the “Darling” shoot, which broke up her association with Sudeikis. A few months ago, during a public event, Sudeikis served Wilde with custody papers (I would hate to be those kids, but love to be their therapist). Wilde is talking about the process serving moment in the publicity for the movie, of course, because why not? (Wilde, PS, has some pedigree: she’s the daughter of well known writers Alexander and Leslie Cockburn. The latter even ran for Congress in 2018. Wild, no?)

Wait: there’s more. Pugh has talked about the sensationalizing of the movie’s sex scenes (which I’m told are not that hot). She’s also been rumored to be feuding with Wilde because she disapproved of the Wilde-Styles affair while they were all shooting the movie.

In other words, no one will stop talking even if they’re not saying anything. And it’s only August 25th! How will we make it another month?

Of course, all of this may be moot once “Don’t Worry, Darling” is shown at the Venice Film Festival. That should be on or around September 1st, a date fast approaching. The only problem there is, as with most festivals, Venice is a closed environment. There are standing ovations, a lot of swooning around stars, and not much reality in the reactions to films. The first thing you hear is, “Everyone loved it.”

Back in the real world, so to speak, “Don’t Worry, Darling” was screened this week in New York and L.A. for a very limited group of press. (Not me, “too soon” was the response I got.) From what I can tell, there was muted enthusiasm. A lot of the movie’s success will ride on the wild popularity of Styles, whose fans will crowd theaters opening weekend to see their idol. If they turn out for the movie the way they’ve come to his live shows, Warner Bros. will have a hit.