Olivia Wilde Finds Out She Was Too Old To Star Opposite Leonardo DiCaprio
Olivia Wilde doesn’t say too much about life in Hollywood. The Vinyl actress generally keeps a low profile in that regard, but now Olivia is revealing that she experienced ageism in an audition for a role and didn’t even realize it. Ms. Wilde was up for a film that ultimately became a box office smash, but she was turned down for the role with a compliment that she later learned was really a garnished insult.
Olivia Wilde Is An Old Maid, When It Comes To Hollywood Roles
Ms. Wilde told Howard Stern that one of the funniest auditions she has had happened with Hollywood executives who told her she was too sophisticated for the role in question. Olivia says she was flattered by the way it was phrased, even though she didn’t get the part.
“And then I found out later that they actually said ‘old,’ ” the Vinyl star revealed. “I want to make a translation sheet for Hollywood that’s all the feedback your agents give you and what it really means.”
Ms. Wilde wasn’t bashful about revealing which film that audition was for, telling Stern that it was for The Wolf of Wall Street. Olivia didn’t specifically say that it was for the part of Naomi Lapaglia, but commented that Margot Robbie was perfect in the role opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Vinyl actress said that she’s not too upset about being turned down for the role, whatever the reason. Wilde says she cuts off emotionally when she doesn’t get a part, as a way of self-preservation.
“I have some ability to cut off emotionally — the second I don’t get a role, it’s dead to me.”
While she may not have been wanted for The Wolf of Wall Street, Olivia says that audition led directly to her gig as Devon Finestra on Vinyl. She knows this, because Martin Scorsese, who directed The Wolf of Wall Street, is the executive producer on Vinyl. Wilde says she wasn’t even asked to audition for Vinyl, because Scorsese was already familiar with her acting talents from her audition on The Wolf of Wall Street.
Vinyl Actress Olivia Wilde Becomes A Real Life Music Video Director
On Vinyl, Olivia plays the wife of a recording industry executive, but she’s definitely taking a much more active interest in the music industry in her real life. Wilde used an iPhone 6 to direct her first music video, which was for the newly released “No Love Like Yours” by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros.
Ms. Wilde explains that she has been a long-time fan of the band and, upon hearing their newest album, she felt a strong desire to contribute something. Growing up on MTV, Olivia says she was heavily influenced by the music video generation and pitched an idea she had to the band’s leader, Alex Ebert.
Ebert loved the idea and set Wilde to work on it. Never mind the fact that this was Olivia’s first outing as a director. She knew what she wanted and she had the people to help realize her vision.
“The crazy thing was how I could come up with these nutty ideas and people would understand how to make them come true.”
What really makes this video come alive was the way in which Ms. Wilde treats the location, New Orleans in this case, as a character of its own. She says the city, which is where Ebert lives, heavily influenced the music on the album, so it made sense to film the music video there. Much of it was shot in Alex’s home, Piety Studios, which is a historic building like much of the city’s architecture.
“Not to sound too corny, but the vibe was kind of extraordinary — I think New Orleans does that to you.”
The next episode of Vinyl will air on Sunday, March 20, on HBO.
[Image by HBO]
