Olivia Wilde has reflected on the “crazy” backlash over her age-gap relationship with Harry Styles.
The actress and director met the pop superstar on the set of their movie Don’t Worry Darling in autumn 2020 and were first seen publicly as a couple in January 2021. They split up in late 2022 after two years of dating.
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Reflecting on the widespread outrage over her dating a man 10 years her junior, Wilde said on the Call Her Daddy podcast, “It really did upset people! People were f**king pissed!”
“It’s wild because we had the loveliest relationship,” she continued. “Like, so sweet and so beautiful and really actually very domestic and kind and lovely. I think that we existed in like this little bubble and the judgment never really got into that bubble, which was a miracle and a real testament to us making that happen… It’s almost like the happiness made them mad.”
The O.C. star believes the furore had “very little to do” with her and more to do with how society judges women dating younger men, and the parasocial relationship fans have with the former One Direction singer.
“(It’s) a burden that is very weighty and not something I envy and he carries it with grace. I think that’s an enormous responsibility,” she praised.
In addition to the headlines about her romance with Styles, Wilde had to deal with a “tornado” of bad press about their movie Don’t Worry Darling, including reports that she clashed with actress Florence Pugh.
Addressing the drama, the film’s director stated, “I’ve never felt more disconnected from the person that people were talking about. I was like, ‘Who are you talking about? Who’s that girl?'”
“It was also very strange to see complete fiction traded as fact,” she continued. “Once there’s a narrative formed, they are just trying to maintain that narrative and it has nothing to do with the truth anymore. It’s just clickbait that they have to maintain. It doesn’t matter what really happened at that point.”
The 42-year-old admitted it was frustrating being unable to defend herself or dispel every rumour, but she knew it wouldn’t help.
“The pummelling that I took was so insanely disproportionate,” she added.
After lying low for three years, Wilde made her public comeback at the Sundance Film Festival in January to support her films I Want You Sex and The Invite, the latter of which she also directed.
