Olivia Wilde: Jason Sudeikis Serving Custody Papers at CinemaCon Was ‘Scary’ and ‘Vicious’ Attack
Olivia Wilde had plenty to worry about at 2022 CinemaCon.
The “Don’t Worry Darling” director was served with legal papers from former partner Jason Sudeikis while onstage introducing her highly-anticipated new film, starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles. The shocking moment was later condemned by Sudeikis’ attorney, saying the “Ted Lasso” Emmy winner had no prior knowledge of Wilde being served publicly.
Wilde and Sudeikis dated from 2011 through 2020 and have two children, Otis, 8, and Daisy, 5.
“It was my workplace,” Wilde opened up to Variety about the incident, without naming Sudeikis. “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.”
Wilde continued, “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.”
The “Booksmart” director added, “I hated that this nastiness distracted from the work of so many different people and the studio that I was up there representing. To try to sabotage that was really vicious. But I had a job to do; I’m not easily distracted.”
And in some ways, Wilde expected a cinematic end to her dramatic Hollywood relationship.
“But, you know, sadly, it was not something that was entirely surprising to me,” she shared. “I mean, there’s a reason I left that relationship.”
Wilde’s children with Sudeikis were her first priority, the actress-director noted.
“The only people who suffered were my kids, because they’ll have to see that, and they shouldn’t ever have to know that happened,” Wilde said. “For me, it was appalling, but the victims were an 8- and 5-year-old, and that’s really sad. 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.”
The “Babylon” star summed up: “The last two years, my family has gone through this kind of restructuring and a revolution that should be a totally personal experience, and it’s not. The most painful element of it has been women shaming me for making a decision that was for my own health and happiness.”
