Olivia Wilde was forced to remove 'sex acts' from original Don't Worry Darling trailer

2 September 2022, 18:26

Watch the trailer for Don't Worry Darling

By Rachel Michaella Finn

The trailer already features multiple sex scenes – including oral – but Olivia apparently wanted there to be more to 'take it up another notch'.

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The trailer for Don’t Worry Darling might have broken the internet, but director Olivia Wilde has admitted the original one she wanted to release was much raunchier.

The film stars Florence Pugh and Harry Styles as a young married couple living in a utopian experimental community that soon turns unsettling, with the trailer showing Harry’s character (Jack) performing oral sex on Florence’s character (Alice) on a dining room table.

But it turns out the trailer would have featured even more provocative scenes if Olivia had got her way, with the director saying the ratings board “came down hard” on the original cut of the trailer, forcing her to cut scenes that were deemed too risqué.

Olivia Wilde forced to remove even more sex scenes from original Don't Worry Darling trailer. Picture: Getty, Warner Bros. Pictures

"There’s a lot that had to be taken out of the trailer. The MPA [Motion Picture Association] came down hard on me and the trailer at the last second and I had to cut some shots, which I was upset about because I thought they took it up another notch," she told AP.

Olivia continued: "But of course we still live in a really puritanical society. I do think the lack of eroticism in American film is kind of new. Then when it comes to female pleasure, it’s something that we just don’t see very often unless you’re talking about queer cinema."

She also said that "people are upset with me already over this," referencing the film’s oral sex scene. "I think it’s a testament to the film. We want to be provocative. The idea is not to make you feel safe."

The original Don't Worry Darling trailer was meant to feature even more sex scenes. Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures

Funnily enough, lead actor Florence Pugh has expressed frustration at all the focus on the sex scenes in the film, being reluctant to talk about it in interviews.

Olivia's continued discussion and emphasis on the sex scenes within the film are in stark contrast to how Florence sees it.

"When it’s reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it’s not why we do it. It’s not why I’m in this industry," she said in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar.

"Obviously, the nature of hiring the most famous pop star in the world, you’re going to have conversations like that. That’s just not what I’m going to be discussing because [this movie is] bigger and better than that. And the people who made it are bigger and better than that."

Watch the second trailer for Don't Worry Darling

Don't Worry Darling has been swamped in drama over the past few months, particularly due to rumours and speculation that there is tension between Olivia and Florence.

The film has also received a huge amount of interest due to Harry Styles’ relationship with Olivia, which appears to have started during filming.

Olivia also recently shut down an unconfirmed report that Harry was paid more than Florence. In an interview with Variety, Olivia addressed the ongoing tabloid gossip: "There has been a lot out there that I largely don’t pay attention to. But the absurdity of invented clickbait and subsequent reaction regarding a nonexistent pay disparity between our lead and supporting actors really upset me.

"I’m a woman who has been in this business for over 20 years, and it’s something that I have fought for myself and others, especially being a director. There is absolutely no validity to those claims."