Harry Styles jokes on stage about Chris Pine 'spit' story

Left to right: Olivia Wilde, Chris Pine, Harry Styles and Gemma Chan at the Don't Worry Darling premiere in Venice on Sunday

Harry Styles has joked on stage that he "went to Venice to spit on Chris Pine", while resuming his US tour at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Social media was ablaze on Tuesday after a journalist suggested Styles appeared to spit as he was sitting down next to Pine at the premiere of their new film Don't Worry Darling in Venice.

A source close to the English singer-turned-actor had earlier denied it.

US actor Pine's representative branded the claim as "a ridiculous story."

Returning from the film festival, Styles laughed as he told fans on Wednesday evening: "I just popped very quickly to Venice to spit on Chris Pine... but fret not, we're back."

His words prompted laughter and screams from fans.

'Online illusion'

Videos and online speculation suggested when Styles sat down for Sunday's out-of-competition premiere, he appeared to spit on his co-star, who was seated between him and the film's director Olivia Wilde.

Pine stopped clapping and looked down at his lap before smiling.

The Star Trek and Wonder Woman actor's spokesperson added earlier this week that it was "a complete fabrication and the result of an odd online illusion that is clearly deceiving and allows for foolish speculation".

They said: "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."

• Critics mixed on Harry Styles' latest film

It is the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the film. Florence Pugh, who plays Styles' on-screen partner, walked the red carpet at the premiere but was notably absent from the press conference.

When asked about reports of a rift by a journalist, Wilde, who is Styles' partner in real life, said she would not contribute to the "endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there", choosing instead to praise Pugh's acting abilities.

The English actress posted a belated message on Instagram on Wednesday, alongside a picture of her and co-stars on the Venice red carpet, writing: "I'm still taking it all in!"

"Qwoaaar. What a moment this was?"

She offered "a massive congratulations to everyone standing on that carpet", adding: "We premiered in Venice! A huge wonderful win in itself.

"I'd never been to Venice Film Festival before.. It was mega! The crowds! The cheers! The energy was incredible."

Don't Worry Darling, set in the 1950s, stars UK actors Harry Styles and Florence Pugh

Styles' part opposite Pugh was originally meant to have been played by Shia LaBeouf, who Wilde recently said she had fired because his "process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions".

But the US actor denied that, telling Variety he had "quit the film due to lack of rehearsal time". LaBeouf stoked the flames of controversy further by sharing a video that Wilde allegedly sent him in 2020, asking him to return to the production, and asking if he and Pugh could "make peace".

But when a journalist at the same Venice press conference tried to probe further into the topic, it was swiftly shut down by the moderator.

Billboard Pop also shared a video of Pine apparently zoning out when Styles talked about the film.

Don't Worry Darling, which hits UK cinemas later this month, has received mixed reviews from critics, with the Guardian calling it an "unconvincing tale of dystopian suburbia", while the Telegraph descried it as "largely fantastic: the sort of juicy but accessible studio production that have all but vanished since the 1990s".