Olivia Wilde is done being quiet. On the latest episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, the director and actress opened up about the maelstrom that engulfed her 2022 film Don’t Worry Darling — and revealed an unlikely lifeline: Pamela Anderson.
“I actually learned this from — this sounds so crazy — Pamela Anderson,” Wilde said, her voice carrying a mix of gratitude and disbelief. “The pummeling that I took was so insanely disproportionate to anything I could have ever imagined. But she taught me that when you’re being destroyed, you don’t have to lie down and take it. You can stand up, dust yourself off, and keep going.”
Wilde’s film was dogged by rumors of a feud between her and star Florence Pugh, reports of behind-the-scenes chaos, and the very public implosion of her relationship with Harry Styles. For months, tabloids feasted on every scrap of drama, painting Wilde as a director in over her head. Yet now, she says, the narrative was warped — and that Anderson, of all people, helped her see through the noise.
Why Pamela Anderson?
The connection sounds improbable. Anderson, the bombshell actress and activist, had her own career shredded by the tabloid machine decades ago. She was the target of leaked sex tapes, vicious body shaming, and constant mockery. But in recent years, Anderson has reinvented herself as a symbol of resilience — and Wilde, it turns out, was paying attention.
“I remember reading her memoir and thinking, ‘This woman has been through hell and back, and she’s still standing, still fierce, still unapologetic.’ That’s what I needed to hear,” Wilde explained. “She didn’t just survive; she thrived. That gave me a roadmap.”
It’s a lesson Wilde has taken to heart. Since Don’t Worry Darling’s release, she has kept a relatively low profile, directing a documentary and spending time with her children. But the scars remain. “I had people I trusted whispering in my ear that I was failing, that I was ruining my career, that I was a bad mother, a bad partner, a bad director. The noise was deafening.”
The Real Story Behind the Drama
Wilde is careful not to name names, but she paints a picture of a film set that was far more functional than the press suggested. “The rumors about on-set chaos were largely exaggerated. We were making a movie. There were creative disagreements — that’s normal. But it became this feeding frenzy where every tiny thing was blown up.”
The most persistent rumor? A supposed feud between Wilde and Pugh. Wilde denies it, though she admits the relationship was strained by the media firestorm. “Florence is an incredible actress, and I’m proud of the work we did together. But when the world is screaming that you hate each other, it’s hard to find common ground. That’s on me. I should have reached out more.”
“The pummeling that I took was so insanely disproportionate to anything I could have ever imagined.”
The interview is a rare moment of vulnerability from a director who has learned to keep her guard up. Wilde sounds less like a Hollywood player and more like a survivor — someone who has been through the wringer and come out with a new set of priorities.
A New Chapter
So, what’s next? Wilde is quietly developing a new project — a drama about a female politician, a role she says she’s been dying to play. She’s also writing a memoir of her own, tentatively titled Unbroken. “I want to tell the truth. Not the version that the tabloids sold, but the messy, complicated reality. I think it might help other women who feel like they’re being torn apart.”
Pamela Anderson, for her part, has not publicly commented on Wilde’s remarks. But Wilde seems to have taken Anderson’s lesson to heart: You can’t control the narrative, but you can control how you respond to it.
“I’m still standing,” Wilde says. “And that’s something.”
The podcast episode drops Tuesday. Expect fireworks.
