{"id":762147,"date":"2026-06-26T18:59:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T18:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/762147\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T18:59:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T18:59:10","slug":"olivia-wildes-invite-cast-talked-marriages-sex-to-prep-for-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/762147\/","title":{"rendered":"Olivia Wilde’s Invite Cast Talked Marriages, Sex to Prep for Film"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tOlivia Wilde<\/a>\u2019s last directing effort, 2022\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Worry Darling,\u201d was marred by controversy and messy behind-the-scenes gossip.<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom Wilde\u2019s falling out with the film\u2019s original star Shia LaBeouf<\/a> and her romance with his replacement Harry Styles<\/a> to alleged bad blood between her and lead actress Florence Pugh<\/a>, the drama behind \u201cDon\u2019t Worry Darling\u201d overshadowed the actual film.<\/p>\n

\n\tSince then, over the last four years, Wilde has kept a low profile.<\/p>\n

\n\tUntil now.<\/p>\n

\n\tWilde is back with \u201cThe Invite<\/a>,\u201d an awards-buzzy ensemble dramedy that she not only stars in but also directs. She and Seth Rogen<\/a> play a San Francisco couple on the brink of a breakup who find themselves facing their marital problems when they invite a free-spirited couple from their building (Pen\u00e9lope Cruz<\/a> and Edward Norton) over for dinner.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cConversations that stem from a comedy are really about people recognizing themselves and laughing at even difficult things, and there\u2019s this sense of catharsis and relief of \u2018Oh man, life is tough and we\u2019re all just doing our best.\u2019 The movie is meant to make you feel that and to have a good time,\u201d Wilde told me Wednesday night at \u201cThe Invite\u201d premiere in Los Angeles. \u201cAnd that energy has really permeated the whole experience and even the press experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tShe added with a smile, \u201cI just feel kind of more relaxed and confident than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivia Wilde says she feels \u201cmore relaxed and confident than ever\u201d promoting #TheInvite<\/a> after a four-year hiatus following 2022\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Worry Darling\u201d: <\/p>\n

\u201cConversations that stem from a comedy are really about people recognizing themselves and laughing at even difficult things,\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/NF3At2dk7r<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Variety (@Variety) June 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Invite\u201d was bought by A24 for $12 million after its Sundance debut earlier this year. As Variety reported, Wilde wiped away tears as she received a standing ovation<\/a> after the Park City, Utah screening.<\/p>\n

\n\tOn Wednesday, Wilde posed on the carpet in a dramatic, body-bearing black gown. She greeted her co-stars with long embraces.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI feel so lucky,\u201d Wilde told me. \u201cI mean, this is the greatest job in the world, and to be able to make a film with this group of people and to be able to release it in theaters is the dream. It\u2019s been the most rewarding experience and I\u2019m just so, so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Invite\u201d is an English-language adaptation of Cesc Gay\u2019s 2020 Spanish film \u201cSentimental,\u201d which he adapted from his stage play of the same name. Rashida Jones and Will McCormack serve as \u201cThe Invite\u201d screenwriters. Producer David Permut told me that he\u2019s currently developing a stage adaptation.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cShe can handle pressure, and I really admire that and in the most kind and generous way,\u201d Cruz said of Wilde. \u201cShe always had time for every single person in every department. We spent a like a crazy week and a half working on the script, like all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRogen recalled the cast sharing some of their most private and vulnerable experiences about romance and marriage with each other before filming began.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe all just kind of sat in a room and sort of read through the script, but mostly talked about kind of what we all thought made a good marriage and maybe made a bad marriage and made a healthy sexual dynamic and an unhealthy [sexual dynamic],\u201d he said. \u201cIt got very personal very fast with a lot of the actors because that\u2019s what the movie is about. I think in order to make it feel as real and reflective of the filmmakers and the team\u2019s lives as possible, we all really got very honest with one another and I think it made the film much better and a lot of it worked its way into the film in various ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWilde previously revealed that she chose A24 over Netflix because she wanted a traditional run in theaters. \u201cThe Invite\u201d release comes just on the heels of a report that the domestic box office is 13% ahead of last year. The summer season is pacing just 3.4% behind 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was so excited to hear that, and I think it\u2019s great that it\u2019s largely driven by young people because for a while there was this kind of myth that young people, Gen Z, didn\u2019t want to go to the movie theaters,\u201d Wilde said. \u201cThere was this sort of manipulation at play, I think, really for profit that was trying to say that they didn\u2019t want to go to the movie theaters. They didn\u2019t care, they\u2019d rather be home.<\/p>\n

\n\tShe continued, \u201cThey are the ones driving the box office right now. They are driving this enthusiasm for authorship in filmmaking. They love \u2018Backrooms\u2019 and \u2018Obsession.\u2019 They\u2019re here for it. They want people to take risks in movies because they appreciate that risk. The audience has never been the problem, and I think now we\u2019re seeing studios recognize that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Wilde is tight-lipped about post-\u201cThe Invite\u201d directing plans, she said: \u201cI don\u2019t want to jinx it, but I really hope to be able to put more comedies in the world. I think that if my purpose in this business was to bring fun people together and be silly and allow everyone to laugh, then I will have done something valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n

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