Why Olivia Wilde Exited Music Video Starring Shia LaBeouf

On Oct. 23, actress and singer Rainey Qualley, aka Rainsford, announced on Instagram that she and a team of collaborators made a “short choreographed film” starring her sister Margaret Qualley opposite Shia LaBeouf.

The NSFW music video was for her single, “Love Me Like You Hate Me,” and it featured the two actors — now rumored to be dating in real life — performing as a couple as they engage in series of scenes from intimate to explosive. “It’s filled with love and pain and tenderness and rage and real pieces of my heart,” wrote Rainsford, who tagged a team including choreographers JA (a collective featuring Jordan Johnson and Aidan Carberry), cinematographer Natasha Braier, and producer Luke Turner, the latter of whom is an artist and frequent LaBeouf collaborator. Rainsford also included a “special thanks to Olivia Wilde.”

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Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the reason she singled out Wilde was that she actually directed the project and had agreed to do so as a favor to the sisters, specifically Margaret Qualley, whom she previously worked with while directing the short film Wake Up. After they wrapped production on “Love Me Like You Hate Me,” Wilde had a certain period of time to finish her cut of the video. Before that period expired, LaBeouf submitted his own cut of the video that he worked on in partnership with Turner.

He sent the cut over on a group email to which Wilde responded that she would be happy to take a look and would submit her cut shortly. The response apparently did not sit well with LaBeouf who responded again by suggesting that the correct response would have been to write thank you and that “we should go with this” in reference to the one he submitted. Per a source who saw the email, he also wrote: “Great jazz musicians know when not to play.”

At that point, Wilde exited the project (by writing back, “I’m out”) and her name has since been removed from the music video over what some have deemed LaBeouf’s unprofessional behavior. Per official credits on IMDb Pro, Turner is listed as the video’s director. The discord on “Love Me Like You Hate Me” was amplified because LaBeouf had already been fired on Wilde’s film Don’t Worry Darling. As has been reported by Variety, LaBeouf was butting heads with others on that film during preproduction, so Wilde removed him due to a “no assholes policy” on her projects. LaBeouf was replaced by Harry Styles, with whom Wilde was just photographed holding hands while attending the wedding of music manager Jeffrey Azoff.

LaBeouf’s on- and off-set demeanor has been the focus of much chatter online in recent weeks after his former girlfriend, singer FKA twigs, filed suit against LaBeouf in Los Angeles alleging sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress. Reps for Wilde, LaBeouf and Rainey Qualley could not be reached for comment.

A version of this story first appeared in the Jan. 6 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.