Olivia Wilde Credits Pamela Anderson With Helping Her Navigate Don't Worry Darling Controversy

Olivia Wilde has opened up about an unexpected source of support during one of the most challenging periods of her career. The 42-year-old director appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast to discuss the tumultuous press cycle around her 2022 film Don't Worry Darling and how the accompanying rumors and perceived drama affected her personally.

After viewing Pamela Anderson's documentary Pamela, A Love Story—which premiered in January 2023, just months after Don't Worry Darling's September 2022 theatrical release—Wilde reached out to the iconic entertainer with admiration. "I actually learned this from — this sounds so crazy. But after I saw the documentary, I reached out to her, and I was like, 'Yo, respect. Just want to say big fan,'" she shared.

The gesture led to a meaningful exchange. Anderson, drawing from her own extensive experience navigating public scrutiny, offered Wilde a piece of wisdom that would prove invaluable: "The most rebellious thing you can do is stay soft. Don't let it harden you." Anderson was aware of what Wilde was enduring at the time and spoke from hard-won perspective about maintaining one's humanity under pressure.

For Wilde, the instinct to publicly defend herself against swirling narratives was overwhelming. "It was so hard, because I wanted to be like, 'Can I just talk to people? Can I just go and say, 'That's not true! That's not true!'" she explained on the podcast. However, she ultimately recognized that stepping back was the more strategic choice.

Wilde emphasized that her restraint wasn't about personal ego. "I was like, 'It's not about me. It's about this movie that everyone works so hard to make,'" she said, noting that she felt a responsibility to the hundreds of crew members who had labored through the pandemic to complete the production. "And I felt like I was working on behalf of hundreds of people who had worked through Covid to make something really difficult."

The former House actress acknowledged the toll of remaining silent in the face of criticism. "I felt frustrated that I couldn't defend myself, but it also felt like, 'Okay, it's not about you. Just get the movie out.' And the pummeling that I took was so insanely disproportionate," she reflected.

During the same podcast conversation, Wilde also touched on her personal life, revealing additional details about the end of her marriage to Jason Sudeikis.