When a movie is inevitably faced with the harsh glare of public scrutiny, some artists find unexpected freedom in the fallout. For director Olivia Wilde, that moment arrived when her 2022 film Don’t Worry Darling received a critical beating, leading her to reflect on the fickle nature of the entertainment industry.
Following the initial buzz from her acclaimed indie comedy Booksmart, the next feature film felt like another high-stakes gamble. Don’t Worry Darling, starring Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, and Harry Styles, was not immune to speculation. Whispers circulated about tension between Wilde and Pugh, rumors concerning the relationship between Pine and Styles, and general backlash surrounding Wilde’s brief romance with Styles.
When the film hit the box office, it struggled to match its predecessor’s success, and critics largely panned the viewing experience, resulting in a rating of just 38 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. This negative reception, however, seemed to unlock something profound for Wilde.
Speaking about her upcoming project, The Invite, Wilde revealed that watching the low ratings for her second film helped her stop worrying so much about external opinions. She suggested that achieving a level of self-awareness requires embracing the volatility of creative risk.
“I reached a level of un-self-consciousness that only comes from recognising that the only way to achieve anything worthwhile is to throw yourself into it completely,” Wilde explained. “The risk is the thing. It is the reward.”
She reflected that acknowledging early failures taught her to maintain realistic expectations for Hollywood, a lesson she derived after experiences like Booksmart. She noted that while some might find it difficult, recognizing how subjective public opinion is is key.
Wilde added that having seen the ride offered a dose of perspective: “My next movie has a 38 on Rotten Tomatoes, and I’ve been reflecting on how healthy it is to be reminded of how fickle it all is.” She admitted that surviving the fear of not being liked by critics was, ultimately, liberating.
Despite the surrounding gossip—which often overshadowed the film itself, as noted by an NME review—Wilde insisted there were no dramatic on-set confrontations. She confirmed that rumors of friction with Florence Pugh were unfounded, stating that there was never “a screaming match on my set.”
Furthermore, Wilde defended her personal life during the film’s production, describing her relationship with Harry Styles as “wholesome and sweet,” even amid the intense parasocial backlash online. She also addressed rumors involving co-star Chris Pine, denying that he had spat on him, insisting that the singer and actor were simply “a very, very kind guy.”
Don’t Worry Darling did manage to secure a four-star review from NME, with the reviewer acknowledging that the surrounding gossip made it difficult to watch, but ultimately conceding that a really quite good film had been needlessly overshadowed.
Now, Wilde is channeling that hard-won experience into her next project, The Invite, which is set to arrive in cinemas on July 3. This new venture will feature Wilde alongside Penelope Cruz, Seth Rogen, and Edward Norton.
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Credit: NME
