The trainwreck that is the Don’t Worry Darling controversy (and also the abysmal reviews) is the gift that keeps on giving. I’m not talking about the very serious issues of allegedly throwing your cast under the bus to work with a known domestic abuser or the rumors of on-set feuds, but more so the lighter issues in Venice like #spitgate. It’s a lot. One happy note from all of this is that two supporting cast members appear to have found love in this mess and hurt no one in the process—KiKi Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk) and Ari’el Stachel (Zola).
Both of them played supporting characters and watched whatever the heck unfolded on set—something people have joked they want a documentary about. The couple might have gone public with their romance earlier, but most found out on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok this week as Layne and Stachel shared images of one another on set.
Other than seeing the talented Florence Pugh in the original teasers, the glimpse of actresses Layne and Gemma Chan (Eternals) got me very excited to see this movie (a different time for sure). I’m not sure about Chan, but Layne’s (and Stachel’s) social media activity revealed to fans that their roles were cut down a lot in the final cut of the film. Layne’s representation told CNN that while her role was important in the film, “movies are edited in service to the story all the time.”
This is true, but director Olivia Wilde also left in the Barbie scene in Booksmart (one of my favorite movies of the 2010s) against pressure to cut it (a scene still jarring and just “fine”), so she is obviously going to give more space for her faves (including Harry Styles, whom she was dating at the time) and herself. I still haven’t seen the movie, but the inclusion of people of color in what aesthetically gives segregationist vibes looks like an empty gesture now. Anyways, they got their checks and someone special, so good for them.
(via Twitter/Instagram, featured image: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Here are some other bits of news out there:
- A baker at Florida Publix prepares for Hurricane Ian in a very creative way. (via Twitter)
- Teacher working part-time on Only Fans to support her family was fired when man sent photos from her account to her employer. (via VICE)
- Incarcerated laborers in Alabama go on strike, demanding more fairness and transparency in the parole process. (via Montgomery Advertiser)
What did you see online today, Mary Suevians?
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