Earlier this year, Olivia Wilde was quietly ambushed on stage at CinemaCon before presenting the trailer for her highly-anticipated thriller, Don’t Worry Darling. Wilde was handed a manila envelope which turned out to be legal papers from her ex, Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis. The audience was confused, and Wilde was flustered. Then things got messy!
At the time, Sudiekis’ team told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor was unaware of the move, and denied that he was involved. Still, Wilde described the ordeal as “upsetting,” and has opened up about how it affected her. “It was my workplace,” Wilde told Variety. “In any other workplace, it would be seen as an attack. It was really upsetting. It shouldn’t have been able to happen. There was a huge breach in security, which is really scary,” the director explained.
The CinemaCon panel required registration and followed strict COVID protocols, so Wilde seems unconvinced that it was an unplanned attack. “The hurdles that you had to jump through to get into that room with several badges, plus special COVID tests that had to be taken days in advance, which gave you wristbands that were necessary to gain access to the event — this was something that required forethought,” she added, suggesting that her ex had planned the ordeal.
Wilde was able to keep her composure and quickly brushed off the move, though she was visibly shaken. “I hated that this nastiness distracted from the work of so many different people and the studio that I was up there representing,” Wilde explained. “To try to sabotage that was really vicious. But I had a job to do; I’m not easily distracted.” Though she was able to continue, it turns out that the actress/director wasn’t surprised.
“But, you know, sadly, it was not something that was entirely surprising to me,” she continued. “I mean, there’s a reason I left that relationship.” Wilde and Sudeikis dated for nearly a decade before splitting in 2020, when she began filming Don’t Worry Darling and met Harry Styles. The two allegedly sparked a romance on set, though they keep it relatively private.
Despite the messy legal serving, Wilde is mostly just concerned for the two kids she shares with Sudeikis. “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.”