Variety published a long interview with Olivia Wilde on Wednesday, in which the actress/director spoke more candidly than ever before about the various headlines she’s made in recent months. Among them: her custody battle with ex-fiancé Jason Sudeikis, firing Shia LaBeouf from her new film Don’t Worry Darling, her relationship with Harry Styles, and belonging to Hollywood’s small class of female directors. (She’s also got a secret Marvel project in the works, but she’s a lot less candid about that.)
The revealing profile finally gives voice to the much-discussed celeb, who’s become a popular tabloid target. And what she has to say is at once fascinating and clarifying about situations we’ve only been able to speculate about.
Here’s some highlights from the wide-ranging piece:
Olivia Wilde is still livid over that public papers-serving incident: Earlier this year, a process server handed Wilde a manila envelope as she was on stage at CinemaCon. It was a shocking moment for several reasons. CinemaCon is an exclusive, industry-only event. How the heck did a process server, armed with custody papers from Sudeikis, manage to get in?
“There was a huge breach in security, which is really scary,” Wilde told Variety. “The hurdles that you had to jump through to get into that room with several badges, plus special COVID tests that had to be taken days in advance, which gave you wristbands that were necessary to gain access to the event — this was something that required forethought.”
While Sudeikis claimed no responsibility for when and where the papers were served, Wilde argues otherwise: “Sadly, it was not something that was entirely surprising to me. I mean, there’s a reason I left that relationship.”
She’d like us all to shut up about her dating Harry Styles: The piece makes it a point to note that, despite Wilde and Styles never copping to being in a relationship, everyone knows it. After working on Don’t Worry Darling together—Styles co-stars with Florence Pugh—the gossip mill has been alight with photos and chatter about the couple. And she’s tired of it: “The last two years, my family has gone through this kind of restructuring and a revolution that should be a totally personal experience. And it’s not.”
She also hints at the misogynistic tenor of the gossip, either accusing her of leaving Sudeikis for Styles or arguing she’s not good enough for the beloved ex-One Directioner. “The most painful element of it has been women shaming me for making a decision that was for my own health and happiness.” It’s undoubtedly part of why she and Styles choose not to say much about their romantic relationship in public; Wilde does admit to wanting to protect the couple’s privacy “out of deep love,” however.
Shia LaBeouf was fired from Don’t Worry Darling for being a creep: Styles only joined Wilde’s second directorial effort during the pandemic, when his world tour was waylaid by lockdown. His character was initially played by Shia LaBeouf—until he left the project just before production began. At the time, in early 2020, reports attributed this to “scheduling issues.” Wilde says otherwise.
“His process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions,” she explains. “He has a process that, in some ways, seems to require a combative energy, and I don’t personally believe that is conducive to the best performances.” Considering the sexual nature of the film, axing LaBeouf was a safety measure. (Later that same year, artist FKA Twigs alleged that LaBeouf had sexually abused her, and he entered rehab.)
She’s on a break from work this year: Her next project is a biopic of Olympian Kerri Strug, which was initially set to start filming this summer. But considering all of *gestures wildly* this, Wilde’s taking a breather. The movie, Perfect, will resume production eventually, along with other entitled films she’s got in the hopper. But for now, Wilde says it’s all about her kids (and the ensuing legal battle around them). And she’s also squeezing some Harry time in there, but she won’t say that out loud.
No Marvel news is good Marvel news: Wilde is working on something with Marvel, although she won’t actually confirm or deny it—the same approach she takes to dating Harry Styles. The rumor is she’s working on something involving Spider-Women, which would be a huge get for her; it’s certainly set to be her biggest-budgeted project, whatever it turns out to be.
Harry Styles tap dances in Don’t Worry Darling: This tidbit is just personally exciting for me. I’ll take this quote to my grave: “’Twas I, tap-dancing. I feel like I’ve been waiting for someone to require a 35-second tap routine from me my whole life.” Can’t wait to watch the best 35 seconds of the year when Don’t Worry Darling hits theaters September 23.
