Having your very own slogan be “Treat People With Kindness” allows people to assume that the owner of the slogan probably treats people with kindness, right? Well, this is not what the media thought when they accused Harry Styles of spitting on Chris Pine at the Venice Film Festival. Unless you have never had access to the media, you are most likely familiar with – if not obsessed with – singer-songwriter, and upcoming actor Harry Styles. Recently, the celebrity, best known as a former member of One Direction and now a solo artist, has taken up an acting career. 

In the early days of September, Lido Di Venezia, a small island in Italy, welcomed actors and filmmakers alike to attend the 79th annual Venice Film Festival. Many film crews attended, but one in particular has gained popularity in the media due to the drama surrounding it. Don’t Worry Darling – directed by Olivia Wilde and starring Florence Pugh, Chirs Pine, and Harry Styles – premieres September 23, 2022. The tension during the entire festival was apparent; even though Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles are rumored to have been in a relationship for the past few months, the two had little to no interactions throughout the festival. Fans noticed this immediately when published pictures showed Styles and Wilde on opposite sides of the red carpet.

 While at the ceremony, strategic seating arrangements were made. Actor Chris Pine sat between Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles, which simply caused more tension. Before the festival there had been no speculation of drama between Pine and Styles; however, of course, an altercation occurred. In a released video, Styles is shown sitting back in his seat next to Pine, and while leaning over towards Pine’s side, Styles can be seen making a face that could be taken as him spitting. Pine immediately looks into his lap and looks bothered, confused, and, for lack of better words, “over it.” Luckily, fans closely investigated the video and came to the conclusion that Styles never spit on Pine in the video. While Styles spoke, which was misinterpreted as him spitting on Pine, Pine’s glasses fell out of his hands and into his lap, and he looked confused as to how he dropped them. Clearly, Styles did not spit on Pine! However, here’s where things get messy. Why would Styles ever be accused of spitting on anyone, especially considering that his whole brand revolves around kindness? This is where we must dig deeper to find out why Styles was accused of this in the first place. 

Typically, celebrities and influencers switching from one career path to another cause backlash, and Harry Styles is no exception. The announcement of Styles playing a lead character in a new film was a shock to many, as he had previously held smaller roles, such as a side character in Dunkirk and a very minor role in an end credit scene of Eternals. Styles is set to act alongside Academy Award winner Florence Pugh, which prompted fans to speculate why anyone would place an Academy Award winner with a brand new actor. After some research and speculation, Styles’ fans came to several conclusions. One theory is that director Olivia Wilde was simply looking for actors to benefit herself and allegedly wanted Styles just because she was fond of him. Therefore, due to the drama surrounding Styles, people had reason to believe he spit on Chris Pine. 

Nevertheless, Chris Pine denies the allegation that Harry Styles ever spit on him at the film festival. Pines’ representative states, “Just to be clear, Harry Styles did NOT spit on Chris Pine. 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.” Styles also addressed the rumor the next day at his concert while joking and stating that he stopped by Venice just to spit on Pine.

Many other fans like Allie claim that they could never imagine Harry doing anything so absurd. So yes, Harry Styles sticks to his word and truly does “Treat People With Kindness”.  

Now you may be asking yourself, how is this relevant to us? The answer is simple: you must always remember that who you surround yourself with affects who you become. Before his relationship with Olivia Wilde, Harry Styles was virtually uncontroversial, but because he associated himself with someone involved in drama, he had to pay the consequences. For example, do you ever notice those friend groups who all seem to be insanely smart and hard working? Well the chances are, they most likely challenge each other to become better people. The same situation occurs for people on the other side who constantly slack off and get into trouble. You always become similar to your friends, so be mindful of who you are friends with. Regardless, you should remember to always “Treat People With Kindness.”