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Dilemma: you have a work do you absolutely cannot get out of, and your office nemesis will be there too.
The reviews for Don’t Worry Darling might be mixed, but the drama swirling around the movie has all the makings of a legendary Hollywood epic. It’s got romance—Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles are still going strong. It’s got intrigue—did original star Shia LaBeouf jump or was he pushed? Just how hard a time did Florence Pugh get from her director on set? And has anybody checked on Chris Pine? It’s got… Granzo Pat.
The biggest takeaway now the dust has settled after the most anticipated premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival? Pugh could teach us all a thing or two about staying cool in a crisis. Not for her the low road of Twitter shade. Florence opted for a different, and far more effective kind of social moment: skipping the awkward press conference in favor of an Aperol.
Here, seven things we’ve learned from Florence Pugh about how to navigate professional drama with style.
When in doubt, have a drink…
All eyes were firmly on Florence when she finally arrived at the festival (notably after her cast-mates had gathered for a photocall and press conference on the afternoon of the premiere). Pugh did the sensible thing and ordered an Aperol spritz at the first opportunity. Bonus: her aperitivo offset those purple Valentino coords perfectly.
Let your outfit do the talking
Dilemma: you have work you absolutely cannot get out of, and your office nemesis will be there too. You need a decoy. A well-chosen outfit means your colleagues will be too busy talking about how fabulous you look to focus on the potential for drama. Consider Florence’s Valentino couture gown (and dazzling waterfront arrival) fashion’s answer to the “dead cat” strategy deployed by controversy-plagued politicians, only chicer.
Moral support is key
When the pressure is on, it helps to have your girls around you. Florence’s chosen ride or die? Her Granny Pat. As one of the most eligible women in Hollywood, Pugh opting to bring her “Granzo” as her date to the premiere was in itself a boss move.
Master the art of the enigmatic smize
Even if you’d much rather be at home updating your burn book, the world must believe you are having a blast. Florence’s turn on the red carpet was by turns regal and rebellious—see her dispensing with traditional poses to cuddle (some of) her co-stars and dance with her gran, much to the delight of photographers.
Keep it off the ’gram
To paraphrase Rudyard Kipling, if you can keep your head when all about you are leaking emails to Variety, yours is the upper hand. In other words: don’t be tempted to address your beef publicly. In swerving the press conference, Pugh managed to avoid uncomfortable questions (Olivia Wilde was not so fortunate), and her posts from Venice have been devoid of any reference to the media maelstrom surrounding her film. Classy.
Have your BFF proxy post for you…
That’s not to say your inner circle can’t weigh in on your behalf. Pugh’s power stylist Rebecca Corbin-Murray’s chosen caption for an Instagram photo of her client on the red carpet left virtually no room for misinterpretation. “Miss Flo” is how Wilde referred to the actor in that infamous leaked email chain. Keep up!
… And remember what your mum always says
Don’t worry, darling, these things always blow over eventually.
This article was originally published on Vogue UK
