Don't Worry Darling "spitgate" seemingly resolved as Chris Pine issues statement and Harry Styles' sources react

gamesradar.com:

Don't Worry Darling has been plagued by controversy in recent weeks – but the latest rumor to hit the internet has been debunked just hours after it began. According to a representative for Chris Pine, Harry Styles did not spit on his co-star. 

If you're confused at just how this strange conspiracy began, a video circulating on Twitter was believed by many to show Styles spitting on Pine at a screening of Don't Worry Darling at Venice Film Festival. See the moment below. 

#HarryStyles appears to spit on Chris Pine i won't sleep until i know the truth pic.twitter.com/wLXjIHTYgUSeptember 6, 2022

"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," Pine's representative told Variety (opens in new tab). "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." 

Sources close to Styles also denied the rumor, per The Guardian (opens in new tab): "This is not true." Variety's own sources also indicated that Styles and Pine had no tension at the event (and nobody noticed any spitting). 

Don't Worry Darling, directed by Olivia Wilde, stars Florence Pugh as a housewife named Alice, who lives in an apparently idyllic 1950's community called Victory – but all is not as it seems. Styles plays her husband Jack, while Pine is the sinister Frank. Nick Kroll, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, and Wilde fill out the cast. 

Reviews for the film haven't been all that positive, though Total Film's own three star review says, "Wilde's film successfully builds a delicate house of cards around her