Why Hollywood Stopped Casting Olivia Wilde

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Having played Remy "Thirteen" Hadley for five years on the hit medical procedural "House," starred in big-budget sci-fi films "Tron: Legacy," "In Time," and "Cowboys & Aliens," and wowed Broadway audiences with her performance as Julia in "1984," Olivia Wilde appeared to be one of the most in-demand actors of the 2010s. And she looked set to join the likes of Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, and John Krasinski as a modern Hollywood double threat in 2019 when she directed the critically acclaimed young adult comedy "Booksmart."

But take a look at Wilde, who changed her name from Olivia Cockburn, and you'll notice that her credits post-2020 are few and far between. So, what's happened to the once-ubiquitous star? From disastrous press tours and scathing reviews to tabloid frenzies and a whole host of industry feuds, here's a look at why Wilde might no longer necessarily be the first name on casting directors' callback lists.

While Olivia Wilde's first directorial effort, "Booksmart," had received rave reviews, the response to the follow-up, "Don't Worry Darling," was decidedly lukewarm. In fact, while the former achieved a highly impressive Rotten Tomatoes rating of 96%, the latter's stands at a lowly 38!

"Perhaps the chief deficit of 'Don't Worry Darling' isn't even predictability, but a discernible lack of new ideas of its own," came the review from The A.V. Club. The Guardian concurred, describing the psychological thriller as a "movie marooned in a desert of unoriginality." While ABC News' Peter Travers wrote, "What's on screen is a glossy, repetitive retread of 'The Stepford Wives' with a dash of 'The Truman Show' and no discernible personality."

"Don't Worry Darling" did respectable numbers at the box office, grossing more than $87 million, three times its modest budget. But the complete lack of major awards attention proved that Wilde wasn't the surefire critical darling suggested by her debut.

Florence Pugh's measured leading performance in "Don't Worry Darling" was hailed by critics as one of the film's few bright sparks. Even so, it was overshadowed by an alleged beef between the actor and director Olivia Wilde.

The pair have never publicly addressed the rumors of a feud, but certain passive-aggressive behavior and a whole host of amateur online sleuthing have left gossip hounds convinced that it does indeed exist. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, for example, Pugh appeared to push back against Wilde's celebration of the film's carnal pleasures: "When it's reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it's not why we do it. It's not why I'm in this industry."

Pugh's conduct on social media also suggested that she and Wilde weren't exactly best buds. In an Instagram post thanking the behind-the-scenes team for their efforts at the end of the "Don't Worry Darling" shoot, the Brit failed to acknowledge the woman who actually made the film. And her promotional efforts on the same platform were limited to the most basic and briefest of platitudes. But Pugh wasn't the only talent with whom Wilde reportedly butted heads.

In 2021, news reports surfaced that Shia LaBeouf had been dismissed from the shooting of "Don't Worry Darling" due to repeated arguments with his castmates and the crew, and general all-around bad behavior. And director Olivia Wilde appeared to confirm this was the case during a chat with Variety a year later.

"His process was not conducive to the ethos that I demand in my productions," the filmmaker claimed. "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." However, the plot thickened when, in response to the interview, LaBeouf, now on the list of celebs who can't stand Olivia Wilde, insisted that he left the psychological thriller on his own accord due to a frustrating lack of rehearsal time. And that he had the receipts to prove it.

The troubled star sent the same publication messages he'd allegedly received from Wilde in which she implored him to give the movie another chance. "I feel like I'm not ready to give up on this yet, and I, too, am heartbroken and I want to figure this out," she wrote, apparently referring to his decision to quit. Despite these leaks, the filmmaker continued to insist that her narrative was the truth and that LaBeouf's conduct toward co-star Florence Pugh had been the dominant reason for his exit.

In January 2021, "Don't Worry Darling" director Olivia Wilde was spotted holding hands with its leading man, Harry Styles, at a pal's wedding. But the fact that she'd only officially split with ex-husband Jason Sudeikis two months earlier got tongues wagging about exactly when the unlikely pair first got together.

Indeed, Page Six soon reported that the pair had become an item during the psychological thriller's shoot when Wilde was still very much a married woman, essentially disputing whether her and Sudeikis' split had been as amicable as presented. And as you'd expect, the tabloids continued to feed on all the drama, often painting the filmmaker in a negative light with stories that their 'affair' had sparked controversy on set.

Nevertheless, the pair engaged in various public displays of affection throughout the year, and in an interview with Vogue, the filmmaker insisted that she didn't care about any backlash. "It's obviously really tempting to correct a false narrative," Wilde said. "But I think what you realize is that when you're really happy, it doesn't matter what strangers think about you. All that matters to you is what's real, and what you love, and who you love."

They say that any publicity is good publicity. Tell that to Olivia Wilde, whose second directorial effort, "Don't Worry Darling," was entirely overshadowed by the shenanigans surrounding its press tour.

The tabloids had a field day during the various premieres and promotional interviews thanks to a cast who appeared to go out of their way to give them ammunition. Florence Pugh, for example, added further weight to the theory that she and Wilde were in the middle of a feud by failing to pose side-by-side with the filmmaker in any of the photos. And then there was "Spitgate."

Yes, while taking his seat for a Venice International Film Festival screening, Harry Styles appeared to unleash some phlegm on co-star Chris Pine's lap, the latter's bemused reaction at the time only adding more fuel to the fire. However, the American's representative later insisted that such talk was pure nonsense, telling Variety it was "a complete fabrication and the result of an odd online illusion that is clearly deceiving and allows for foolish speculation."

While Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis initially seemed determined to put on an amicable front following the news of their split in November 2020, things soon got decidedly messy. Firstly, there were rumors that the former had got together with ex-One Direction star Harry Styles while they were still married. Then, their former nanny made all kinds of accusations against the pair, eventually suing them for wrongful dismissal. And who can forget the incredibly public way the custody papers were issued?

Yes, in April 2022, Wilde was speaking about her second directorial effort, "Don't Worry Darling," on stage at Las Vegas' CinemaCon when she was suddenly and unexpectedly presented with a brown envelope. The documents inside, related to the custody of her and Sudeikis' two children, inevitably caught the filmmaker off guard and once again put the spotlight on her private life rather than her professional.

Wilde later revealed how hurt she was by the stunt in her 2022 interview with Variety. "In any other workplace, it would be seen as an attack. 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." Sudeikis, however, insisted that he had no idea the papers would be served in such a manner.

Olivia Wilde constantly insisted during the press tour that "Don't Worry Darling" was feminist in tone. "I'm very curious about our collective complicity in [upholding] the patriarchy," she told Elle magazine for its 2022 Women in Hollywood issue. "I found myself seeing a lot of content that was struggling to address feminist issues and instead becoming either really simplified or overly didactic. I had no interest in making a feminist parable that was judgy or that defined men as bad and women as good."

However, such talk was undermined by both her leading lady — Florence Pugh essentially argued that its apparently empowering sex scenes had taken too much precedence compared to the rest of the story — and the press. The Guardian's Adrian Horton, for example, claimed that the psychological thriller hopelessly failed to say anything insightful or novel about feminism.

"The film takes some basic ideas — that some men find women's employment a threat, crave submission, and idolize a return to repressive 1950s gender norms — and strings them together with little coherence or characterization," Horton wrote. And The Cut's Miriam Bale argued that it was akin to "wearing a 'Feminist AF' T-shirt to the revolution, adding that "good intentions are not enough." Ultimately, Wilde was accused of promising one particular type of film and delivering another. 

While Olivia Wilde has occasionally appeared in blockbuster fare — see sci-fi sequel "Tron: Legacy" and mash-up "Cowboys and Aliens" — the majority of her filmography is in the less flashy, more challenging field. And as she told the panel at the Red Sea Film Festival, this has been a conscious career choice.

The multi-talent revealed (via Cinema Express) that she "naturally gravitated towards roles that had a little bit of risk involved," an approach which explains why she's not exactly a multiplex regular. "I think a huge problem with our business, around the world I imagine it's the same, when you conflate filmmaking or acting with fame or with large scale acceptance, you immediately cut off every opportunity to do any risky work."

Wilde, whose resume includes boundary-pushing films such as mumblecore favorite "Drinking Buddies," cautionary tale "Her," and historical epic "Babylon," also admitted that she's not concerned about being liked. "I'd rather be controversial than boring. You never want to make a movie as a director that people are like, 'Eh, I don't know, I felt nothing.' I'd rather people hate it than feel nothing."

Olivia Wilde, who actually used to be a princess, certainly got candid while discussing her career at the Red Sea Film Festival in 2024. As well as admitting her penchant for taking risks, the native New Yorker also explained why her resume has been relatively short on roles in front of the camera lately.

Discussing the acting profession, Wilde claimed (via Deadline) that it's "the only job where the more experience you have, the less valuable you become. Certainly for actresses ... At a certain point, I realized I don't want to have my value deplete at the point where my wisdom and experience is at its apex. I want to be celebrated for my experience, as opposed to some sort of value based on something that is inherently fleeting."

Indeed, the only feature film credits that Wilde has racked up this decade are brief cameos in "Babylon," "Ghostbusters," and "How It Ends." However, you are able to see her in front of the camera in "I Want Your Sex," an erotic thriller in which she plays an artist who appoints a much younger man to serve as her own personal sexual muse. And she also pulled double duty on comedy "The Invite," an English-language remake of the Spanish hit "The People Upstairs."

Olivia Wilde didn't exactly endear herself to casting directors during a chat with Maggie Gyllenhaal for Interview magazine. Indeed, although she didn't name any titles in particular, the New Yorker did pour scorn on several of her own previous films, claiming that she'd made "5,000 times more s***ty" ones than her fellow Hollywood double threat.

Wilde threw much of her filmography under the bus when asked by Gyllenhaal whether she felt her early screen career essentially doubled up as acting classes. "Completely," she answered. "It helps me navigate any feelings about movies that I don't think are great when I look back on them, and it helps me understand them within the context of my proxy film school experience."

When Gyllenhaal insisted that she'd been in her fair share of terrible movies, Wilde insisted that her worst was worse. "But I've been in some really bad ones, and now I think, 'I did those to learn all the cautionary tales that would help me define myself as a director.'" The actor, however, did single out "The Lazarus Effect," the 2015 horror she starred alongside Mark Duplass in, as a movie that had a "really terrible" work schedule.

As well as taking aim at various political movements, her past movies, and apparently two actors she directed on "Don't Worry Darling," Olivia Wilde also drew criticism from several celebrities outside of her orbit.

Indeed, in 2023, Wilde risked incurring the wrath of Swifties everywhere when she reposted a quote from Katja Herbers questioning their idol's taste in men. "I wish Taylor Swift was in love with a climate scientist," came the comment made (via The Independent) after rumors the pop superstar was dating footballer Travis Kelce. "Taylor would join her scientist at an end fossil fuels rally and the world would be saved." Of course, the "Shake It Off" singer's fans were quick to point out that having been in a relationship with Harry Styles, a former boybander not exactly known for his environmental activism, this was a blatant case of hypocrisy.

Wilde later insisted that she meant no harm by the comment. But the backlash didn't stop her from poking fun at Swift's apparent one-time rival two years later. Following Katy Perry's journey into space on board the controversial Blue Origin flight, the director posted two images of the "Firework" hitmaker's return in which she questioned the mission's cost and intentions. "Billion dollars bought some good memes, I guess," she wrote (via Billboard) with the utmost shade.

Could Olivia Wilde's determination to speak her mind have warded off certain filmmakers who wanted an easier life? Indeed, in a climate where most Hollywood stars are media trained to within an inch of their lives, "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" actor has stood out for refusing to play by the neutral rules.

For example, in her 2022 interview with Elle, Wilde made her feelings on the pro-life movement crystal clear, remarking, "It's introduced me to probably the ugliest, most depressing element of our culture in terms of [certain pro-life advocates] who have made vicious, violent threats against me. I mean, no one else has threatened to throw acid on my face other than a 'pro-life mom.'" In 2017, she took to Instagram to confirm that she despised Donald Trump with all of her guts, describing him as a "pathetic, petulant, dishonest pig." And a year later, she joined then-husband Jason Sudeikis at a March for Our Lives rally advocating for new gun reform.  

Luckily, Wilde doesn't seem particularly bothered about any blowback from her outspokenness. "Ever since I had any kind of platform, I have used it to try to share information that I thought was important," the New Yorker told AOL. "There are so many different people who have these genuine, authentic interests and they've kind of lost the fear of using their platforms to talk about real things."