Olivia Wilde has a theory about why the tabloid scrutiny surrounding her 2022 film “Don’t Worry Darling” spiraled so far out of control, and it has to do with the rise of fascism. During an interview with David Marchese for The New York Times’ “The Interview,” published Saturday, Wilde reflected on the media frenzy surrounding the film, which became notorious for the offscreen drama and speculation involving her and star Florence Pugh to the point that it overshadowed the movie itself.
Asked how much of the coverage she believed was rooted in sexism, Wilde suggested the phenomenon was part of something much bigger than the way the media treats women.
“I don’t begrudge a populace who is inherently distrustful of public figures because of the way that our country has run itself into this very dangerous rut of fascism or nearing fascism,” Wilde said. “And it’s happened because we have lost track of, I think, certain skills of critical thinking, but it’s been fed to us with this onslaught of information that is impossible to unwind and organize.”
Wilde acknowledged that connecting the tabloid storm surrounding “Don’t Worry Darling” to fascism might sound like a stretch.
“I know that it seems crazy to take your question about a tabloid storm and relate it to something like fascism,” she said.
But the actress, whose parents and grandfather were both journalists, explained that her family background had shaped how she viewed the media and the public’s relationship with information. She recalled her grandfather’s famous saying: “Believe nothing until it is officially denied.”
“I think that’s healthy,” Wilde said, adding that she did not blame people for being curious about the increasingly sensational coverage surrounding the film
Wilde argued that the lack of reliable information created an opening for audiences to fill in the blanks with their own assumptions, turning scattered reports and rumors into a much larger narrative.
“Because there was something kind of titillating and mysterious about what people felt they knew about that movie and everything around it, they created a narrative that was so far from the truth,” she explained.
“Every story needs a villain. And I was cast as said villain,” Wilde added.
The actress said she did not harbor rage over the experience but acknowledged that it took her several years to gain perspective on what happened, saying, “It took me a few years of zooming out and thinking about lots of other things to kind of realize, like, oh, that really had very little to do with me.”
Ultimately, Wilde said the experience forced her to reflect on herself and grow, crediting therapy, reading and traveling with helping her move forward.
“Anything that forces you to do a bunch of therapy and think deeply and read a bunch of books and travel — anything that throws you off is actually potentially very, very good for you,” she said.
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