Olivia Wilde may not have had the “time of her life” in films, but she has definitely proven with her acting skills that she can steal a scene with her magnetic performance. Although her on-screen performances have been short, she got her much-needed break with Tron: Legacy in 2010. But, that was short-lived too.
Making her transition from the front to the back of the camera has been a blessing for her. Her directorial debut was back in 2011 for a miniseries called – Free Hugs. Since then it has rewarded her well as she delivered a critically appreciated film Booksmart (2019).
No matter how brilliant she gets with her endeavors, her personal life is a shake-up of its own. She made headlines with her recent separation from her long-term fiance Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso). But prior to this relationship, she had a more challenging marriage with an Italian filmmaker Tao Ruspoli.
Olivia Wilde Was Fed Up With Dating
Ruspoli came into her life when the 39-year-old actor got extremely frustrated with meaningless dating. As suggested by one of her family friends, a rather exhausted Olivia Wilde was pretty hesitant to meet him as she got to know that the man “lived on a bus.”
As the Italian filmmaker was eight years older than Wilde, her parents worried that it may not work out well. Ruspoli was also a royalty in Italy, and upon finding this, Wilde thought about giving their relationship a chance.
She shared with Women’s Health –
“My dad had a minor heart attack, and it was hard to imagine settling down at the time. But there was this wave of romantic excitement and an overwhelming sense that we were supposed to be family. We were very open to the idea that if it didn’t work, we would let it go its course. No pressure.”
Even with the best of her efforts, their marriage couldn’t work as she felt that the couple grew apart. Nonetheless, she gained something out of her divorce as it improved her acting skills.
Olivia Wilde’s Divorce Made Her A Better Actor?
She went from one unsuccessful marriage to long-term dating the Horrible Bosses actor Jason Sudeikis only to get separated from him too. But, in a Marie Claire interview, Olivia Wilde shared the pain of divorcing her husband and how much she tried to save things.
“I felt I had something to prove. If you fall off a horse, you get back up. I am not a quitter. I hung on for as long as possible until it was more hurtful to stay.”
Also, she learned how to channel her agony of separation to improve her on-screen performance during the filming for House. Even the maker of the show went on to tell her –
“You should get a divorce every year. Your acting has never been better.”
For now, she is involved with her next project called – Perfect. The film will showcase the story of American gymnast Kerri Strug’s legendary performance at the Atlanta Olympics back in 1996.
Source: Showbiz Cheat Sheet
