Olivia Wilde may be new to directing, but she already has one hard and fast rule on all of her sets: no assholes allowed.
As part of Variety‘s “Director on Director” series, the actress-turned-director spoke with Emerald Fennel, the director of Promising Young Woman, about why she implemented the directive. “The no asshole policy, it puts everybody on the same level,” she explained. “I also noticed as an actress for years how the hierarchy of the set separated the actors from the crew in this very strange way that serves no one. I think actors would actually like to know more about, ‘What’s happening there when you’re pulling my focus? What is that lens change?’ But the idea of, don’t bother the actors and keep them separate and don’t look at them—I think it makes everyone quite anxious.”
Wilde recently had to implement this rule, firing the star of her new film Don’t Worry Darling, Shia LaBeouf, in September and replacing him with Harry Styles whom she is now rumored to be dating after separating from her partner of eight years, Jason Sudeikis, at the beginning of 2020. The news of LaBeouf’s firing was first reported by Variety in an article about the actor following allegations of “relentless abuse” by his ex-girlfriend FKA twigs. According to the piece, the actor allegedly, “exhibited poor behavior and his style clashed with the cast and crew, including Wilde, who ultimately fired him.”
In the video, Wilde went on to explain that she first came up with the policy after getting some questionable advice from a respected figure in Hollywood before directing her first film Booksmart in 2019. She explained, “Someone, who’s a very established actor and director in this industry, gave me really terrible advice that was helpful because I just knew I had to do the opposite. They said, ‘Listen, the way to get respect on a set, you have to have three arguments a day. Three big arguments that reinstate your power, remind everyone who’s in charge, be the predator.’ That is the opposite of my process. And I want none of that.”
More Great Stories From Vanity Fair
— Cover Story: The Charming Billie Eilish
— Kobe Bryant’s Tragic Flight, One Year Later
— How the PGA Polished Off Donald Trump
— Could the Monarchy “Go Over a Cliff” After Queen Elizabeth Dies?
— 36 Essential Items for Recreating Iconic Billie Eilish Nail Moments
— Inside 2021’s Celebrity-Gossip Renaissance
— What Will Melania Trump’s Legacy Be?
— From the Archive: The Brant Brothers’ Quest to Conquer Manhattan
— Not a subscriber? Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now.