Years after Don’t Worry Darlingbecame one of Hollywood’s most talked-about films, Olivia Wilde says the real drama was not always happening on screen.
Appearing on The Louis Theroux Podcast, the filmmaker admitted the relentless headlines surrounding the movie–and her romance with co-star Harry Styles– ultimately took a toll.
“I think it did hurt; it hurt the film,” Wilde said. “It hurt me, for sure.”
From casting rumours to endless speculation about her relationship with Styles, the psychological thriller became a tabloid obsession before audiences even saw it.
Looking back, Wilde says she finally has enough distance to understand what happened.
“It is interesting to witness a tornado from the inside,” she reflected.
Rather than blaming the public, Wilde acknowledged why so many people filled in the blanks.
“What happens is when we aren’t given information, we have a human instinct to assume,” she explained. “I get why people are distrustful.”
She added, “Now I look back, and I think people were being given headlines without context, and it’s a natural instinct to try to fill those in.”
Wilde also revisited her relationship with Styles during a recent appearance on Call Her Daddy, admitting the backlash caught her off guard.
“People were f—ing pissed,” she recalled, suggesting the intense fan attachment to the former One Direction star played a role.
Despite the public scrutiny, Wilde described their relationship as “the loveliest,” calling it “very domestic and kind and lovely.”
For Wilde, the headlines may have overshadowed Don’t Worry Darling at the time–but years later, she’s finally telling the story from the eye of the storm.
2026-07-21 21:02:00
