Chris Pine says Harry Styles ‘did not spit on’ him, told a ‘little joke’ instead
Chris Pine is setting the record straight on “Spitgate.”
The actor doubled down on claims that his “kind” co-star Harry Styles did not spit on him at the “Don’t Worry Darling” premiere in September 2022.
“Harry did not spit on me,” the 42-year-old claimed in a Wednesday Esquire video. “Harry is a very kind guy.”
However, Pine admitted that “it did look, indeed, like” the former One Direction member, 29, shot saliva in his direction in viral videos.
“I think Harry leaned down and said, ‘It’s just words, isn’t it?’” Pine recalled, alleging that the singer leaned down to tell him “a little joke.”
He added, “We were all jet lagged and trying to answer questions. And sometimes when you’re doing these press things, your brain goes befuddled and you start speaking gibberish, so we had a joke: ‘It’s just words.’”
Pine’s rep initially issued a denial last year, with the rep calling the rampant rumors “ridiculous.”
The statement read, “This is a … complete fabrication and the result of an odd online illusion that is clearly deceiving and allows for foolish speculation.
“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.”
As for Styles, the musician poked fun at “Spitgate” while performing in New York City.
“It is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful to be back here,” the “X Factor” alum said during one of his concerts at Madison Square Garden. “I just popped over to Venice to spit on Chris Pine, but fear not, we’re back!”
Multiple “Don’t Worry Darling” cast members have also addressed the alleged loogie, from director Olivia Wilde to actor Nick Kroll.
Wilde, who dated Styles from 2020 to 2022, called the story “a perfect example of people who look for drama anywhere they can” in a “Late Night Show With Stephen Colbert” interview.
“Harry did not spit on Chris, in fact,” the “O.C.” alum claimed in September 2022. “He really didn’t.”
Kroll, for his part, hilariously claimed to have told Styles to spit on Pine.
The “puppeteer” joked to Jimmy Fallon that he wanted to “create a lot of buzz around the film but not about the film itself.”
The movie was plagued with multiple scandals before and after its release, including reports of a “screaming match” between Wilde and lead actress Florence Pugh.
The director also allegedly butted heads with original lead actor Shia LaBeouf, telling Variety in August 2022 that she fired him to make Pugh feel “safe” on set.
The “Even Stevens” alum later disputed her claim, claiming he walked away from the film.
Wilde blamed her gender for the drama surrounding the movie, saying, “I don’t feel like my male director colleagues are answering questions about their cast.”
