Don't Worry Darling Cut 'Most' Of The Scenes Of This Key Character
The hole Olivia Wilde has dug herself into with "Don't Worry Darling" just keeps getting deeper and deeper. We haven't discussed a lot of the behind-the-scenes drama of "Don't Worry Darling" here on /Film because no one needs yet another thinkpiece about whether or not Harry Styles spat on Chris Pine at the Venice film festival or a deep-dive dissection of Florence Pugh's Instagram tagging practices to determine if there's "beef" between her and Wilde. Celebrity gossip really isn't Our Thing™, but a recent Instagram post by "Don't Worry Darling" star KiKi Layne indicates there was some systemic oppression at play and that is absolutely worth discussing.
In the post, Layne mentions that one of the best parts about working on the film was getting to meet Ari'el Stachel, noting, "They cut us from most of the movie, but we thriving in real life." It's one thing for there to be petty drama between a director and an actor, it's something else entirely when two people of color were seemingly pushed to the margins.
Layne plays Margaret Watkins, one of the idyllic housewives Pugh's Alice meets in the 1950s company town of Victory. Margaret's character is critical to the plot of "Don't Worry Darling," but as many audience members have noticed, KiKi Layne and Gemma Chan, both women of color, had less screen time than director Olivia Wilde's character Bunny, who is not as integral to the plot of the story.
'#GotMyCheck'
We don't want to assume bad faith or make accusations we can't back up with material evidence, but something is seriously suspicious about the handling of Layne's character. For one thing, as others have pointed out, Layne was missing from the press tour of "Don't Worry Darling." Despite the fact that her character is pivotal to the story and her name is on the poster, Layne was not part of the press tour for the film. Pairing that with the actor's acknowledgment that many of her scenes were cut is not a good look for Wilde.
The decision to cut out Layne is questionable at best and maliciously racist at worst, and unless Warner Bros. decides to release a longer cut of the film or a special edition with the deleted scenes, we'll likely never know just how much was cut from the film.
Fortunately, Layne, who cannot be bothered by the egregious editing, ended her Instagram post with the hashtags #GotMyCheck, #GotMyMan, and #EverythingHappensforaReason. After her performances in films like "If Beale Street Could Talk," "Native Son," and "The Old Guard," Layne has become one of the most sought-after performers in Hollywood, and she and Stachel have developed a romantic relationship in real life after meeting on the set of "Don't Worry Darling."
Layne doesn't need the affirmation of being kept in Wilde's final cut to know that she's a powerhouse performer with a bright future, and will continue to succeed long after this film is in the rearview. Moving forward, this darling has nothing to worry about.