Olivia Wilde’s psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling is just mere weeks away from its theatrical release and the actress-turned-director is leaving no bridge unburned in the promotion of the film. On this bridge are all the writers, directors, and actors who worked on the “really bad” movies she says she’s been in.
Wilde, who studied at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, shared with Interview magazine that nothing taught her more about the art of being an actress – and director – than being in those “sh*tty” movies.
“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. I’ve made like 5,000 times more shitty movies than you have.”
Instead of backpedaling and possibly saving those with whom she worked on said “shitty movies” from embarrassment, Wilde chose to plow on.
“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: how I will never speak to a crew, how I will never speak to actors, how I will never schedule a movie.’ All of that comes from those bad experiences.”
Exactly what movies Wilde is referring to were not mentioned, graciously saving those who worked on them from further embarrassment. To be fair, her 2006 horror movie Turistas flaunts a Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating of 18 percent, so there’s that. Her 2015 horror movie The Lazarus Effect has a 15 percent, and just when you think it’s tied to horror movies, her 2018 romantic comedy Life Itself takes it down to 13 percent.
So, maybe Wilde isn’t completely wrong, but burning bridges all over Hollywood probably isn’t the best way to go about things, especially in light of her recent controversy with Shia LaBeouf and Florence Pugh.
Don’t Worry Darling premieres in Venice theaters on Sept. 5, and everywhere else on Sept. 23.