We’re beyond stoked to see Olivia Wilde’s latest film, “The Invite,” getting some serious buzz from critics and audience alike with the domestic dramedy that debuted in U.S. theaters last month (The Playlist reviewed the pic during our Sundance Film Festival coverage earlier in the year). And with Wilde firmly out of “director’s jail,” she’s already teasing what is coming next after a bunch of promotion for the movie had Wilde speaking on a bunch of wide-ranging topics, including a very insightful A24 podcast episode she did alongside co-star Seth Rogen.
During a profile/interview with The Cut, Wilde, who is going to be seen next in Gregg Araki’s (we’re thrilled he’s finally making movies again after an extended hiatus) subversive dom/sub sex comedy “I Want Your Sex,” has dished that her next directorial effort will be starting up “soon.” Which she describes as being both “heartbreaking” and “hilarious,” a very tantalizing tease from Wilde.
READ MORE: July’s 12 Must-Watch Movies, From ‘The Odyssey’ To ‘Her Private Hell’ & ‘I Want Your Sex’
It’s not entirely surprusing that Widle is telegraphing another feature with comedic beats as “Booksmart” thrust her into the spotlight and “The Invite” took a more dark humor turn, than her previous coming-of-age story with a pair of young ladies on the cusp of heading to into the world of adulting as they’re about to gradute from high school (sort of being compared as a female counter to Rogen’s own “Superbad“). Around the time of that odd fallout from “Don’t Worry Darling” being considered a misfire and what sounds like manufactored on-set drama, Wilde would link up with Rogen, playing a heightened satirical version of herself in “The Studio,” frantically trying to sabotage her movie that she’s directed with hilarious results (we’ll keep our fingers crossed she’ll eventually make a return to the Emmy-winning Apple TV series).
“Olivia was coming off this somewhat public debacle, so it seemed like an opportunity for her to make fun of herself,” Rogen said of her involvement in the show. “Historically, I find that sort of clears the air.”
Wilde is also reflecting on the drama surrounding the production of “Don’t Worry Darling,” her Florence Pugh-led thriller that saw a slew of gossip-driven stories citing unprofessional antics (many had gripes that she was having a romantic relationship with her actor, Harry Styles during the shoot, leading to those drama rumblings/conflicts) and her head-butting with the cast/crew (none of which were corroborated). She’s tried to set the record straight while lamenting not coming out sooner and says that those internet rumors saw her character over time being framed differently than in previous years, “I became the full-on villain. Like Cruella.”
“I was told, ‘Don’t say a f***ing word. Just go out there and smile,'” Wilde recalled of the bad advice she took on how to properly handle the barbs, shaking her head. “I resent that, but it taught me it’s not the way I want to handle things.”Also, revealing that she went into therapy after the experience of “Don’t Worry Darling,” suggesting it had a bigger impact than most may imagine: “I don’t think you know what you’re made of until you fall apart. I don’t trust anyone who hasn’t had their heart broken. If you can push through the moment you have previously identified as the worst possible thing that could happen to you, whether that is divorce or the internet hating you or whatever, you are forged into something way better than you could have possibly imagined.”
“I Want Your Sex,” co-starring with Cooper Hoffman, releases on July 31, and “The Invite” is now playing in theaters, and be sure to check it out as Wilde and Rogen appear alongside Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton as a couple trying to entertain their super-cool neighbors in a stripped-down, character-driven flick with obviously comedic and awkward results.
The filmmaker planting her feet firmly in the world of comedy as both an actress and director is very much a good thing for the rest of us, because she certainly has the chops for the genre, while many directors cannot hang or don’t have a great sense of humor.
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