Shortly after rightfully basking in the praise she received for her feature film directorial debut “Booksmart,” Olivia Wilde found herself at the center of a controversy this awards season thanks to her role in the Clint Eastwood film “Richard Jewell.”
To recap, Wilde plays journalist Kathy Scruggs in the project, who is depicted having sex with a source (played by Jon Hamm) in order to obtain information. She is playing a person who actually existed (and one who is no longer alive to counter the portrayal); furthermore, female journalists sleeping with their sources is largely considered a damaging trope in film. Though Wilde herself had nothing to do with the writing or directing of the film, naturally, she was the one to receive the brunt of criticism.
READ: How Olivia Wilde Made ‘Booksmart’
“It’s an illuminating phenomenon to see the fury over this film was directed at an actress in a film made by men, starring men. How? What?,” she tells Vulture. “I come from a family of journalists, and I wanted to acknowledge the community of female journalists and express my deep respect for them.”
Despite the perhaps misdirected nature of the critiques Wilde has received, she does believe it has taught her about choosing roles more selectively.
“I think when you’re playing a role, you want to be able to play complicated people who are very different from you. There’s that whole thing about women playing likable characters, this feeling of, ‘You should play likable characters, because otherwise people won’t like you,’ ” she explains. “And I bristle at that. We should play all types of nuanced, complex characters. But I think when you’re playing real people, there’s a responsibility towards their legacy. But unfortunately when you’re not writing or directing the film, you have very little control over that.”
Wilde admits, however, that while “Richard Jewell” has altered her outlook, she doesn’t regret the experience; she still got to work with one of the most legendary filmmakers of all time. As she continues to carve out space for herself behind the camera, that knowledge is invaluable, despite what it may have cost her while acting in front of it.
“But yeah, I think it has affected me,” she adds. “I don’t know exactly how yet. But I did that movie to learn from Clint Eastwood, and I’ll take those lessons into directing forever.”
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