Olivia Wilde appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast during the press tour for The Invite and expressed her regret for her silence amidst the confusion surrounding the release of Don’t Worry Darling in 2022.
“I’ve never felt so disconnected from the people that the world is talking about, and it was very strange to see complete fiction treated like fact,” Wilde said of this period in his life. “I wanted to say, ‘Can I talk to someone?’ Can I say, ‘No, that’s not true.’ And I was like, “No, that doesn’t help.” It was really hard…I felt like I was representing hundreds of people[who worked on this film]. I was frustrated that I couldn’t protect myself, but that wasn’t (me) the problem…I think my own attempts to be strong and to overcome it in a way came across as inauthentic. ”
The release of Don’t Worry Darling, starring Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, and Wilde’s then-boyfriend Harry Styles, was controversial from the start, as Wilde was served custody papers while the first footage of the film was shown at Cinema Con. Rumors then began to circulate that Wilde and Pugh clashed on set over creative differences. Speculation about a feud between the two then exploded after they were not photographed together at the Venice Film Festival and Pugh refused to look at Wilde.
The Venice Film Festival, which hosted the world premiere of Don’t Worry Darling, not only fueled rumors of a conflict between Wilde and Pugh, but the film’s release was a huge flop after a scene in which Chris Pine spat on Styles went viral. A representative for the pop star denied the act and said such claims were “a complete fabrication,” but the damage was done.
“There was all this craziness going on in the world, but my personal life was a far cry from that,” Wilde said of the press tour. “And it felt really, really wholesome and sweet. At that moment, I felt a lot of real joy and love and happiness. It was like there was a tornado right outside the door and I was inside and I thought, ‘That’s so nice.’ And then I opened the door and all these fucking cows and tractors came flying in.”
According to Wilde, the internet’s opinion of her was already negative before “Don’t Worry Darling” began, as “people were furious” that she was dating Styles. The two reportedly fell in love while working on the film.
Regarding the backlash to his romance with Styles, Wilde said, “I think it also has a lot to do with the parasocial relationship that people had with him. It’s a very heavy burden, and it’s not something I envy, but he carries it with grace.” “That’s a huge responsibility that stars have to shoulder, and I think it’s very impossible.”
Wilde and Styles had a 10-year age difference, which Wilde said “really upset people,” adding, “It was crazy. I don’t know how much I understand it yet. That’s one of the factors that I never felt that way, but I don’t fully understand.” She described her romance with the pop star as “the most beautiful relationship” and “very sweet and very beautiful and actually very homely and sweet and lovely.”
“I think we existed in this little bubble, and the verdict didn’t really put us in that bubble, which is a miracle and a testament to the fact that we made it happen,” Wilde added. “I think people were mad. It was like happiness made them mad. I was going to shows and dancing, and people were like, ‘You slut! Do you even dance and laugh?'” But it really upset people. ”
Watch Wilde’s full interview on “Call Her Daddy” in the video below.
