Olivia Wilde has stated that the intense media coverage surrounding her film Don't Worry Darling and her relationship with co-star Harry Styles "hurt" the project's success. The 42-year-old actress directed the 2022 thriller, in which she appeared alongside Styles and Florence Pugh.
Rumors and Distractions
The film was plagued by rumors of a rift between Wilde and Pugh, as well as the replacement of originally cast Shia LaBeouf with Styles. Simultaneously, Wilde was navigating a public split from ex-husband Jason Sudeikis and relentless scrutiny of her romance with Styles.
Speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Wilde explained that the drama "did hurt the film" because "we didn't get to have the conversations about what the film was trying to say which was a shame because so many people worked so hard to make that film in the depths of Covid."
Personal Impact
Wilde reflected on her naivety about the internet's capacity for negativity: "It hurt me for sure, because I was so naive up until that point about the grinder, the garbage disposal that the internet can be." She added, "It is interesting to witness a tornado from the inside."
Wilde and Sudeikis were married from 2011 to 2020 and share two children. She began dating Styles after they met on set, but their relationship ended in November 2022.
Healing Through New Projects
Wilde's latest directorial effort, The Invite, is currently in cinemas. She noted that returning to the press cycle felt potentially "traumatising," but the conversations about her new film have been "so wonderfully interesting to me" and "actually kind of healing because I understand that it's not always a garbage disposal." The film stars Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton as two couples whose dinner party takes unexpected turns.
