Olivia Wilde’s last directorial effort, 2022’s Don’t Worry Darling, was marred by controversy and nasty behind-the-scenes gossip.
The drama behind Don’t Worry Darling overshadowed the actual movie, from Wilde’s falling out with the film’s original star Shia LaBeouf and her romance with replacement Harry Styles to her alleged relationship with lead actress Florence Pugh.
Since then, for the past four years, Wilde has kept a low profile.
Until now.
Wilde returns with the award-winning ensemble drama The Invite, in which he not only stars but also directs. She and Seth Rogen play a San Francisco couple on the brink of separation who find themselves facing marital problems when they invite a free-spirited couple (Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton) who lives in their building to dinner.
“The conversation that comes out of the comedy is about people being self-aware and laughing even at difficult things, and there’s a sense of catharsis and relief of, ‘Oh, life is hard, and we’re all just doing the best we can.'” This film is about feeling that and having a good time,” Wilde told me at the Los Angeles premiere of “The Invite” on Wednesday night. “And that energy really permeated the whole experience and even the press.”
She added with a smile: “I feel more relaxed and confident than ever.”
“The Invite” was acquired by A24 for $12 million after debuting at Sundance earlier this year. Variety reported that after the screening in Park City, Utah, Wilde received a standing ovation and wiped away tears.
On Wednesday, Wilde posed on the carpet in a black dress that showed off her dramatic figure. She greeted her co-stars with long hugs.
“I feel very lucky,” Wilde told me. “I mean, this is the greatest job in the world and it’s a dream to be able to make a movie with this group and release it in theaters. It’s the most rewarding experience and I’m very, very happy.”
The Invite is the English version of the 2020 Spanish film Sentimental, based on the stage play of the same name by Cesc Gay. Rashida Jones and Will McCormack serve as screenwriters for The Invite. Producer David Permut said they are currently planning a stage adaptation.
“She can handle pressure, which I really admire in the most kind and generous way,” Cruise said of Wilde. “She always had time for each person in every department. Like all of us, she spent a week and a half writing the script like crazy.”
Rogen recalled that the cast shared their most private and vulnerable experiences about love and marriage with each other before filming began.
“We all sat in a room and read the script, but we mainly talked about what made for a good marriage and what probably made for a bad marriage, and what we all thought about healthy sexual dynamics and unhealthy (sexual dynamics),” he said. “I got very personal with a lot of the actors very quickly, because that’s what this movie is about. We all got very honest with each other, trying to reflect as authentically as possible the lives of the filmmakers and the team. I think that made the movie better, and a lot of that was reflected in the movie in different ways.”
Wilde previously revealed that he chose A24 over Netflix because he wanted a traditional screening in theaters. The release of “The Invite” comes on the heels of reports that domestic box office revenue was 13% higher than last year. The pace of the summer season is just 3.4% slower than in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.
“I was really excited to hear that. I think it’s great that this movie is primarily driven by young people, because for a while there was kind of a myth that young Gen Z kids didn’t want to go to movie theaters,” Wilde said. “I think there was this kind of manipulation that was really for profit, trying to say they don’t want to go to the movie theater. They don’t care, they’d rather stay home.”
She continued, “They’re driving the box office right now. They’re driving the passion for auteurism in filmmaking. They love ‘Backroom’ and ‘Obsession.'” That’s what they’re here for. They want people to take risks in their movies because they understand the risks. Audiences have never been an issue, and I think studios are starting to realize that now. ”
Wilde has been tight-lipped about his directorial plans after “The Invite,” but said, “I don’t want to jinx it, but I really want to be able to put more comedy out there.”If my purpose in this industry was to bring together fun people and do silly things that make people laugh, then I think I’ve done something worthwhile.”
