The Real-Life Inspiration For Chris Pine's Don't Worry Darling Character
Actor-turned-director Olivia Wilde's second feature film, "Don't Worry Darling," is heading to cinemas this month after a string of controversies. For the most part, the juicy details of the film's story have been a tightlipped secret, though its mysterious psychological thriller tone is a strong right turn from Wilde's confident and slick comedic solo debut, "Booksmart." Set in a 1950's inspired suburb, Florence Pugh plays Alice, who lives a dreamy, idyllic life with her husband Jack, played by Harry Styles. Alice's perception of reality falls apart as she slowly realizes her sunny town is not what it seems.
Amongst the supporting cast of this film is Chris Pine's character and main antagonist, Frank, the founder of this retro community he dubs the "Victory Project." In a conversation with Maggie Gyllenhaal for Interview Magazine, Wilde revealed that a source of inspiration for Pine's menacing character is Jordan Peterson, the "pseudo-intellectual hero to the incel community."
Chris Pine's Frank is the founder and leader of the Victory Project
"[Incels are] basically disenfranchised, mostly white men, who believe they are entitled to sex from women. And they believe that society has now robbed them — that the idea of feminism is working against nature, and that we must be put back into the correct place," Wilde explained to Gyllenhaal.
Misogynistic violence, rigid gender roles, and the facade of the American suburban household were all subject material that felt inherent to Katie Silberman's screenplay, but while we know there is some meta edge to "Don't Worry Darling" (Wilde's pitch compared it to "The Truman Show" and "Inception"), the material pulling from something so current like the online incel community is a surprising turn.
Though on second glance observing Frank in the trailer, his general cadence of faux-intellectualism, ranting about chaos as the enemy of societal progress, intimidating Alice with mind games, and positioning himself as the charming leader and spokesperson of this community, it's easy to see the Jordan Peterson parallels. "Peterson is someone that legitimizes certain aspects of their movement because he's a former professor, he's an author, he wears a suit, so they feel like this is a real philosophy that should be taken seriously," Wilde continues.
Frank's psuedo-intellectual aesthetics mirror Jordan Peterson's
Peterson, like his fictitious counterpart Frank, and presumably by extension the town of the Victory Project, are all built on thin aesthetics over substance; it will be very satisfying to see Pugh's Alice tear it all apart on her journey to self-actualization. While there's not much more to be known about the film's story to invite further speculation, Wilde has been very transparent about the film's inspirations and it can be guaranteed an even darker turn has yet to be seen.
Whether or not "Don't Worry Darling" can successfully drown out all the production's he said/she said chatter, it is one of the few original theatrical releases to look out for in September, and as a star vehicle for Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, it will be interesting to see if it sticks the landing.