CraveOnline: You’ve gotten a lot of great roles in film and television, in comedy and drama, but this summer was Drinking Buddies a really monumental role for you?
Olivia Wilde: Yes, game changer. That one was a passion project of mine and I think one of the reasons that people responded well to it is because we made it for the right reasons. We made it not for the result. We made it for the process. It was an exercise in telling a story honestly. I was so proud of it from beginning to end. It was a movie we made for no money, just in Chicago, literally working in a brewery with people working around us, borrowing people’s offices so we could shoot for an hour and then let them back in, and it was just a wonderful experience and I learned a lot from it. So to see it being embraced has been really great and I think it emboldens my drive to do more films like it.
How is it going to change the way you approach characters moving forward?
Well, aside from I doubt I’ll be able to improvise every movie from now on, but I think if you took that process of Drinking Buddies which really helped me understand a character very, very well because I had to be so aware of who she was. I had to be ready for any situation, any conversation at any point so I had to know her in such a deep way so that if another actor decided to bring up a question in a scene, “Where did you go to college? What do you like to eat? What’s your dream in life?” I’d be able to answer those questions. That should be a part of every process for every character. That should be part of the preparation. So if I take every script from now on and imagine having to put the entire thing into my own words and to really understand that person in a very deep way, I think it would serve me in a positive way.
Have you found that even people who never watched “House” know who 13 is?
That’s funny. I always assumed if they knew 13 then they watched the show, but maybe you’re right.
I think there were people who wanted to know who you were and they learned about number 13.
That’s hilarious. Well, I do hear it quite often and it makes me laugh because I remember the day I was in the writers room in “House” and David Shore, our head writer, said, because it was a nickname that House had come up with for me because I had a racing bib on that said 13. Shore said, “I think your name will be 13.” And I said, “Really? That’s ambitious. Won’t people find it confusing or odd?” He said, “No, it’s a name that is memorable and it will become a symbol of the show. You’ll see, it’ll stick.” So when people yell, “13!” I always think of David Shore saying that. I’m like, “You were right, man.”
Third Person hasn’t shown yet, so what kind of character did you get to play in that?
That’s a really exciting film. I play a young writer who is having an affair with Liam Neeson’s character who is also a writer, a quite well known novelist. She’s an icier character than I’ve played. She’s complex. She’s kind of damaged. She’s very smart and very mercurial and we learn a lot of tragic things about her but I spend most of the movie in a conversation with Liam. It’s fascinating because he’s so good and so subtle that when I watched the film I saw even more dimensions than I saw in person. He’s really, really good in this role. I call him the big friendly giant but he also carries this weight of a survivor on him that I think he’s probably had since he was a kid. I bet he was one of those little kids with grown-up eyes. So I’m really excited for people to see that. It’s a really intricate film. It’s three simultaneous stories and great actors. I think it’s Paul Haggis’ best thing in a while.
Did that come as an offer with your history with Paul?
I originally worked with him on a show called “The Black Donnellys” so we became good friends and then we started an organization together in Haiti with a couple people in the entertainment world called Artists for Peace and Justice. Paul and I have known each other a long time and this was an intimate experience, working on really difficult material with the writer who’s also the screenwriter. I was very honored to get this role. It was one of those roles you get and you’re like, “Whew, okay, this is the big leagues. This is varsity.”
What can we expect from Better Living Through Chemistry?
That’s a funny film. I play a pill popping drunk miserable trophy wife who convinces Sam Rockwell to kill my husband. I love Sam Rockwell so in that instance it was just getting to play with one of the most amazing actors of my generation, just so interesting and funny. That’s a great film. I can’t wait for people to see that.
Do you hear anything from Team Tron?
Occasionally it bubbles up and I hear things, little whispers of sequels. I told them at this point I don’t know who I would play because I can’t fit into that suit, so I told them I’ll play the mom.
Do you think you wouldn’t continue that story with Quorra in the real world?
Oh no, in seriousness, yes. I’d be into it. I liked Quorra a lot. I helped create that character from such an early stage that she felt very much my own and I was very proud of her. The film went through this kind of corporatization process. It’s a difficult story to tell and difficult to know what audience it’s for, but I would have a lot of fun being Quorra again. The last couple times we’ve talked, I said I would do it if they asked. We’ll see. We’ll see. Maybe they’ll take their time with it.
You can wear real clothes this time.
That’d be nice. I said they can make the suit out of sweatpants.
Fred Topel is a staff writer at CraveOnline and the man behind Shelf Space Weekly. Follow him on Twitter at @FredTopel.
