The actress-turned-director, Olivia Wilde became an acclaimed sensation when she directed her first movie, Booksmart in 2019. Her nuanced take on a coming-of-age teenage comedy-drama was not only appreciated as relatable and refreshing but Wilde became known for her awareness of the current socio-political climate and for constructing her stories around a woman as the focal point.
To incorporate such heavy themes without the underlying message coming off as forced is a talent in itself and Olivia Wilde became one of the few directors who mastered the elusive strategy in her very first attempt.
Olivia Wilde And The Rise of Online Hatred
If one takes the time to divide all the components associated with the narrative of Olivia Wilde’s new venture, Don’t Worry Darling, one might see that it’s a three-pronged problem. The first of course is the recent harem of scandals that the studio has been a part of, the second being the controversial management of affairs — both personal and professional — on the sets of DWD, and the third being the below-par acting of Harry Styles (which directly stands in contrast to his rather somber appearance in the Nolan-directed Dunkirk).
When Shia LaBeouf was handled as an easy target by Wilde to project her mismanagement of the cast’s situation, the public became divisive toward her unsanctioned actions. Her hypocrisy lies not in the fact that she lied about firing LaBeouf but in the certifiably worse lie about respecting Florence Pugh, wanting to protect her from his “a**hole energy”, and pioneering women’s empowerment by focusing and building on powerfully feminist narratives. Her ideologies were misplaced when the time warranted her to choose between protecting a fellow actress and saving her multi-million dollar film.
The Questionable Approach of Sony Toward Olivia Wilde
In a saddening change of narrative, the director who showed extraordinary promise has dug herself a new hole by engaging in her recent complicated and ethically questionable acts. Olivia Wilde, 38, has become the fresh face of the ever-changing standards of the Hollywood glitterati. With her second directorial film en route and its associated scandals, social media had already had its invasive prongs steered toward the direction of her new venture. Now, the divisive public cries hypocrisy due to Sony’s enabling attitude toward the director’s involvement in the studio’s alleged new project, Spider-Woman.
If the rumors are indeed true, this film will become a landmark, a pivotal point in the history of cinema and the studio for its unprecedented initiative of turning Jessica Drew’s storyline into a live-action film. However, the choice of director for the film, i.e. Olivia Wilde has already amassed critical demography devoted to tearing her down. At a time when Warner Bros. couldn’t fall farther from grace (because of Ezra Miller, Amber Heard, and David Zaslav‘s strategic changes), can Olivia Wilde’s flailing reputation be a cause enough for Don’t Worry Darling‘s grueling failure? And if so, can Sony really afford to hire her for its once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring Spider-Woman to life for the first time in cinematic history?
Don’t Worry Darling premieres on 23 September 2022.
