Olivia Wilde claps back at the audience’s perception of her "abandoning" her kids. Image Source: Glamour
Olivia Wilde claps back at the audience’s perception of her "abandoning" her kids.
During a profile interview with Elle magazine, actress-director Olivia Wilde discussed the difficulties she faced in keeping her children out of the spotlight.
Olivia Wilde said that she shared custody of the two kids, Otis and Daisy, with ex-Jason Sudeikis, and if she is photographed alone and not with them, people assume that she has abandoned them as if her kids are just somewhere in a hot car without her. The actress mentioned that people have a preconceived notion about her and that she has abandoned her role as a mother.
The actress explained that the real reason people do not see her with her kids is that she does not let them get photographed, and people have no idea of the lengths she goes to protect her kids from being seen by the paparazzi or tabloids. Olivia Wilde had previously shared during her appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show that her priority has always been the kids, and as long as they are happy and healthy, the former couple is okay with it.
Olivia admitted that separating from a partner, especially when kids are involved, is tough, adding that it’s almost like reshaping the family, which is tricky, and the one benefit that comes with it is that it allows the parent to connect with the children. Olivia and Jason called off their relationship after being together for nine years in November 2020, and she explained that their split had allowed her to have some really deep conversations with her kids about emotions and happiness and about what family means and love, and it’s actually allowed her to get to know the kids in a different way.
A source close to the former couple at the time stated that the split was amicable, that their children are their priority, that they intend to co-parent, and that they have transitioned into a co-parenting routine. But it did not appear to be the case when Jason Sudeikis served custody papers on Olivia Wilde while she was presenting at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, and the situation drew everyone's attention, but Olivia refused to budge and continued to do what she was there to do, sell her movie. Although Jason clarified that he never intended to serve her the paper on-stage, Olivia Wilde said that she was not surprised describing the entire scene as well thought out.
Olivia Wilde added that she keeps her mental health in check amid the controversies that surround her by staying off the Internet and not trying to control the narrative. She explained that she really thinks that staying off social media and not having the constant urge to control what has been said really helps and mentioned that focusing on what really makes one happy makes one happy.
During an interview with Variety in August, Olivia once again addressed the situation with the kids, stating that when people see her without her kids, she would often get comments like "How dare she?" but added that she has never seen anyone say such a thing about a guy and mentioned that if the guy is with the kids, he becomes a fucking hero. The actress called her son and daughter her world and best friends, adding that she had taken time off work to be with them.
Olivia explained that it was time for her to pause and devote herself to the kids when she had them and that the year was a time to stay at home, and it was not the year for her to be on set.
During the interview with Elle, Olivia Wilde also addressed the hate she gets online by explaining that it’s so interesting for her to see that the hate or backlash she witnesses online comes from women, and she ends up thinking, "Do you plan on not getting older? Or if you are already older, do you feel that you don’t deserve the same opportunities in life?’ Olivia added that she finds it so sad that people have such small expectations for their own lives and that they are projecting those expectations onto her, which she rejects.
Just like Issa Rae, Olivia Wilde was also asked about her take on the industry’s evolution since the #MeToo era and how it has been for women, to which she said that there is a much stronger sense of community now. She added that the women were kept in separate rooms for a long time and later realized that they were just pitted against each other or were told that they were each other’s competitors when they were not. Olivia added that women were just actually each other’s partners and understood how convenient it was that the industry told them that they were competitors.
