Olivia Wilde was candid in her Variety cover interview about being served custody papers by her ex Jason Sudeikis while on stage doing her CinemaCon presentation for Don’t Worry Darling, her choice to keep her relationship with Harry Styles private, and the way tabloids have treated her.
With the CinemaCon incident, Wilde was explicit about her feelings—and how her children with Sudeikis, eight-year-old son Otis and five-year-old daughter Daisy, were the real victims of the public spectacle.
“I hated that this nastiness distracted from the work of so many different people and the studio that I was up there representing,” she said. “To try to sabotage that was really vicious. But I had a job to do; I’m not easily distracted. But, you know, sadly, it was not something that was entirely surprising to me. I mean, there’s a reason I left that relationship.”
“The only people who suffered were my kids, because they’ll have to see that, and they shouldn’t ever have to know that happened,” she continued. “For me, it was appalling, but the victims were an 8- and 5-year-old, and that’s really sad. I chose to become an actress; I willingly walked into the spotlight. But it’s not something my children have asked for. And when my kids are dragged into it, it’s deeply painful.”
With regard to her relationship with Styles, Wilde explained why she has chosen to keep details to herself. “I’m not going to say anything about it because I’ve never seen a relationship benefit from being dragged into the public arena,” she said. “We both go out of our way to protect our relationship; I think it’s out of experience, but also just out of deep love.”
She did address the way tabloids have treated her through the separation from Sudeikis and new relationship with Styles. “The last two years, my family has gone through this kind of restructuring and a revolution that should be a totally personal experience,” she said. “And it’s not. The most painful element of it has been women shaming me for making a decision that was for my own health and happiness.”
You can read her full interview here.
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.