Olivia Wilde is looking back on one of the most talked-about chapters of her career and personal life.
Nearly four years after “Don’t Worry Darling” dominated headlines for reasons beyond the film itself, the actress and director is opening up about how the intense public scrutiny surrounding her relationship with Harry Styles affected both the movie and her personally.
Wilde Gets Candid
Wilde discussed the experience during a recent appearance on “The Louis Theroux Podcast,” where she reflected on the whirlwind of headlines that surrounded the psychological thriller’s 2022 release.
At the time, Wilde and Styles had been dating for nearly two years after first being linked in late 2020. Their relationship ended in November 2022, around the same period “Don’t Worry Darling” premiered.
The film, which starred Florence Pugh and Styles, performed well at the box office, but much of the conversation centered on reported behind-the-scenes tensions rather than the movie itself. Rumors about disagreements involving Wilde and Pugh, speculation over cast dynamics and widespread attention on Wilde’s romance with Styles overshadowed the project.
Podcast host Louis Theroux noted that the film’s release became entangled in what he described as “many multidimensional scandals.”
“Your relationship at the time was breaking up. You had a well-publicised relationship with your co-star Harry Styles and, there was a kind of a misogynistic dimension to a lot of the coverage of the drama, the fallout,” he said.
Wilde agreed that the surrounding attention ultimately impacted the film.
“I think it did hurt the film for sure 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,” she explained.
Wilde Reflects on the Film
She also highlighted the work that went into making the project, pointing out that its $30 million budget stretched much further thanks to the creative team behind the scenes.
“We made the film for $30 million. I think it looks like a much more expensive film because of the work of people like Matty Libatique, who shot the film, Katie Byron, who production designed the film.”
According to Wilde, those artistic achievements were largely lost amid the nonstop headlines.
“But we never got to talk about that, so I think it hurt the film. 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.”
Looking back now, Wilde says time has given her a different perspective on that difficult period.
“So at this point, I have enough of a perspective on it and that allows me to experience it as a fascinating time. It is interesting to witness a tornado from the inside.”
The filmmaker is currently promoting her latest movie, “The Invite,” and said returning to the press circuit has been a much different experience.
“Well, it’s interesting because this is my first time back into the press cycle since then and I did wonder, would this feel quite traumatising?” she said.
Instead, Wilde described the promotional tour as surprisingly positive.
“I find that the conversations around ‘The Invite’ are so wonderfully interesting to me, and I’ve actually been allowed to have them. So, it’s been actually kind of healing because I understand that it’s not always a garbage disposal.”
Before directing “Don’t Worry Darling,” Wilde earned praise for her feature directorial debut, “Booksmart,” in 2019. While “Don’t Worry Darling” ultimately topped the box office, the surrounding speculation often overshadowed discussion of the film itself.
Now, with some distance from that chapter, Wilde says she’s finally been able to focus on conversations about her work rather than the headlines surrounding her personal life.
