When speaking about her next directing project after 'Booksmart', the 'Richard Jewell' actress admits she did not expect to get 'groundswell of support and enthusiasm' from studio executives.
- December 27, 2019
AceShowbiz - "Booksmart" director Olivia Wilde was left stunned after studio executives entered a bidding war over her next project, "Don't Worry, Darling".
The actress-turned-filmmaker made her directorial debut with the acclaimed "Booksmart" earlier this year (2019), and discovered that one hit was enough to make her a big Hollywood player when her upcoming feature generated a great deal of interest from movie bosses.
"It was extraordinary and unexpected," she tells Deadline. "The groundswell of support and enthusiasm was extraordinary. I didn't expect it. I didn't know what to expect. I just hoped I'd be able to direct again, and this was even before the release."
The star admits that she merely hoped "Booksmart" would do well enough to allow her to have another shot at directing.
"You know, just finishing the film, I thought, 'I want to do well enough that I get to do this again', and then, when I did feel an incredible amount of curiosity about what I wanted to do next, and a lot of offers coming my way, I was encouraged," she adds.
Wilde feels that her success is symbolic of a large shift in Hollywood for women.
"There is, of course, a pattern in Hollywood of particularly women not being given an opportunity to make their second feature, if their first doesn't score at the box office," she adds. "So many female directors had one chance, and they aren't given another chance as rapidly as the men are."
