Olivia Wilde rejects the notion that, as a public figure, she’s somehow”accepted that your life will be torn to shreds by a pack of wolves.”
Director and actress Olivia Wilde is being honored as one of Elle magazine’s”Women in Hollywood.” (Photo: Cass Bird/Elle)
the Don ‘t Worry Darling director and actress is being honored as one of_Elle_ magazine’s “Women in Hollywood.” She did a photoshoot with the outlet —exposing her breast, with a gold heart nipple cover, in a Gucci ensemble inone cover image — and used the interview to get candid about life under a”microscope.” She expressed disappointment about the “sideshow” thatovershadowed her film, which was No. 1 at the box office opening weekend lastmonth, and the “untruths” told about her. She also spoke about the judgmentshe faces as a single mom after splitting from Jason Sudeikis and dating her_DWD_ star Harry Styles.
Wild spoke of the DWD drama in the headlines for the last few months — whichincluded a reported feud with star Florence Pugh, a back and forth overwhether Shia LaBeouf was fired, spitgate and being served by Sudeikis on stageat CinemaCon, to name a few — and said she was sad everything has been”minimized into bite-size TikTok points.” While the film was ultimatelysuccessful at the box office, she didn’t plan to “throw myself into the flamesfor the movie,” she quipped.
All the gossip overshadowed her art, she said.
“This film is trying to ask big questions,” she said of the thriller whichfocuses on a 1950s housewife (Pugh) living with her husband (Styles) in autopian experimental community, “but [it’s] Let’s just focus on this sideshowover here. Having been a known figure for a while … makes me well-equipped tohave a Teflon exterior. But it also means that you’re under a different kindof microscope. It’s brought my attention to the media and how it **** pitswomen against one another.”
Wilde called it “shocking to see so many untruths about yourself traded asfact.”
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Throughout the interview, she had nothing but praise for Pugh, who hasn’taddressed the rumors of a rift. She referred to Pugh’s quotes about the moviemore than once.
“Florence had a really wise comment that we didn’t sign up for a realityshow,” Wilde said. “And I love that she put it that way, because it’s asthough the general public feels that if you are making something that you’reselling to the public, you somehow have accepted that your life will be tornto shreds by a pack of wolves. No, that’s actually not part of the jobdescription. Never was.”
She also agreed with Pugh’s comments pertaining to the film’s sex scenes. (InAugust, Pugh criticized the reaction to the trailer, saying, “When it’sreduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world godown on someone, it’s not why we do it… [This movie is] bigger and better thanthat.” Though it was also interpreted that Pugh didn’t like the way thetrailer was cut, focusing on the sex scene between her and Styles, in aperceived slight toward Wilde.)
“Florence very wisely pointed out that a lot of attention has been given tothe sex scenes,” Wilde said, “and I think she’s so right. I completely agreewith her that it’s overshadowing everything else that the movie’s about… I wasso happy that she said that because I feel the same way.”
Wilde also talked about her directing process — and her infamous “‘noa**holes’ policy” on the set.
“I think that the greatest demonstration of power is the ability to listen andto maintain your cool when everything inevitably falls apart, and to makeother people feel empowered,” the booksmart director said of what she bringsto the set in a male-dominated industry. “My ‘no aholes’ policy comes frombeing an actress, seeing so many fing a*holes on set and how it never madeus do better work. It’s something that I take very seriously, and we let go ofpeople who aren’t kind all the time… I think it should be the expectation ofthe workplace. We don’t say, ‘My set’s a no sexual assault set.'”
Wilde revealed that while working on the script, they were inspired by formerPresident Trump — but not in she’s gonna start wearing a MAGA hat kind of way.She explained that they put a bunch of his quotes up, ones demonstrating his”gross tendency … to be very nostalgic about a better time.” Those words werea guide as they brought to life this society under Chris Pine’s cult leadercharacter. “What these men are referring to is a time that was horrific foranyone who wasn’t a straight white cis man,” she said. “It was interesting torecognize that I had spent my entire life lusting after the iconography ofthis time when I would’ve had very few rights.”
She also spoke about Roe v. Wade being overturned just before the movie cameout.
“We knew about the movement to overthrow roe long before we started makingthe film,” she said. “It’s something that’s ever-present. I have been veryinvolved in the pro-choice movement, and it’s introduced me to probably theugliest, most depressing element of our culture in terms of [certain pro-lifeadvocates] who have made vicious, violent threats against me. I mean, no oneelse has threatened to throw acid on my face other than a “pro-life mom.'”
That brought her to social media — and the way people are so judgmental andmean, especially to females in the public eye. Wilde, who is 10 years olderthan her pop superstar beau, says she’s constantly hit with hateful commentsabout her appearance.
“It’s so interesting for me when that comes from women because I’m like, ‘Doyou plan on not getting older? Or if you already are older, do you feel thatyou don’t deserve the same opportunities in life?'” she said. “It’s so sad tome to look at that and realize people have such small expectations for theirown lives and they are projecting those expectations onto me. And I rejectyour projections.”
Wilde also rejected the commentary on her life as she navigates co-parentingwith Sudeikis, whom she only refers to as “my ex” in the interview amid theircontentious split. They have a split custody arrangement, with their kids,Otis and Daisy, going back and forth between them each week, and when she’sout without her kids — like on a date with her famous partner or at once ofhis concerts — she faces scathing criticism.
“If I’m photographed not with my kids, people assume I have abandoned them,like my kids are **** just somewhere in a hot car without me,” she said. “Thesuggestion is that I have abandoned my role as a mother. You know why youdon’t see me with my kids? Because I don’t let them get photographed. Do youknow the lengths that I go to protect my kids from being seen by you?”
Wilde’s next projects include directing a Kerri Strug biopic and a reporteddeal to direct a female-centric Marvel feature. She said her projects followthe same theme of the “raw determination of women.”