Actress and director Olivia Wilde praised actor-singer Harry Styles (whom she’s dating) for playing a supporting role “to allow for a woman to hold the spotlight,” despite the entertainment industry “raising [men] to believe it lessens their power.”
“Little known fact: most male actors don’t want to play supporting roles in female-led films,” said Wilde in an Instagram post. “The industry has raised them to believe it lessens their power (i.e financial value) to accept these roles, which is one of the reasons it’s so hard to get financing for movies focusing on female stories. No joke, it is harrrrrd to find actors who recognize why it might be worth it to allow for a woman to hold the spotlight,” Wilde continued. “Enter: [Harry Styles], our ‘Jack.'”
Olivia Wilde is currently directing the film Don’t Worry Darling, a psychological thriller that centers on a housewife in the 1950s. Along with actress Florence Pugh and Styles, the film will also star actors Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Asif Ali, and Nick Kroll, with Wilde also playing a supporting role.
“Not only did he relish the opportunity to allow for the brilliant [Florence Pugh] to hold center stage as our ‘Alice,’ but he infused every scene with a nuanced sense of humanity,” said Wilde. “He didn’t have to join our circus, but he jumped on board with humility and grace, and blew us away every day with his talent, warmth, and ability to drive backwards.”
Actor and anti-Trump activist Shia LaBeouf was initially supposed to play Styles’ character in the film but was fired from the cast in September.
“He is not an easy guy to work with,” a source close to the film told Variety in December.
The source added that LaBeouf was “off-putting” to those associated with the project, especially Wilde, who is reportedly known for her “zero asshole policy” on film sets.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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