Hollywood actress Olivia Wilde has reflected on her two-year romance with Harry Styles, revealing he managed the burden of parasocial relationships some of his fans formed ‘with grace’. The American director, 42, dated the former One Direction star, 32, for nearly two years before they broke up at the end of 2022.
The pair rarely spoke publicly about their relationship; however, Wilde has now said the backlash their age-gap relationship faced – which started after they met on the set of her film Don’t Worry Darling, which was beset with wild behind the scenes drama – didn’t affect them.
Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast, however, she did tell host Alex Cooper she knew ‘it really did upset people’. ‘It was crazy. I don’t know how much I understand it yet. I understand it had very little to do with me. People were f***ing p***ed,’ she recalled.
Praising her chart-topping ex though, she continued: ‘I think it also had a lot to do with the kind of parasocial relationship people have with him, which is a burden that is very weighty and not something I envy. He carries it with grace.
‘I think that is an enormous responsibility that all those stars have to carry, and it’s f***ing impossible. It’s wild because we had the loveliest relationship, so, so sweet and beautiful, and really very domestic and kind and lovely.’
The House star, who rose to fame on The OC, started dating Styles less than a year after ending her engagement with former fiancé, Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, 50, with whom she shares two children. She was also previously married to Italian-American filmmaker Tao Ruspoli, son of aristocrat Alessandro Ruspoli, 9th Prince of Cerveteri, from 2003 until 2011.
Wilde also said it was a ‘miracle’ that the criticism and attention never affected her relationship with Styles. ‘I think we existed in this little bubble, and the judgement never really got in, which was a miracle, a testament to us making that happen.
‘I think that people were mad. It was almost like the happiness made them mad.’
Elsewhere in the interview she referenced the public madness they faced as a couple but shared that her private life ‘was very far from it and actually kind of wholesome and sweet’.
‘I had a lot of real joy and love and happiness during that time,’ she added. ‘It was like the tornado was right outside the door, and if you were inside you were like, “It’s so nice,” and then you’d open the door and be like “Aargh!” and a f***ing cow and a tractor would fly by.’
During their relationship, Wilde made a rare comment about Styles in an interview with Vogue, in which she said: ‘I’m happier than I’ve ever been. And I’m healthier than I’ve ever been, and it’s just wonderful to feel that.’
She also said of criticisms to their age gap: ‘It’s obviously really tempting to correct a false narrative. But I think what you realise is that when you’re really happy, it doesn’t matter what strangers think about you. All that matters to you is what’s real, and what you love, and who you love.’
In recent months, Styles has sparked engagement rumours with American actress Zoe Kravitz, 37, after first being spotted together in August last year. During an interview with British Vogue last week, Kravitz said she was ‘aware’ of the discussion about her relationship and finds it ‘overwhelming’.
‘I’m aware it’s happening. I’m aware of when it’s happening, like when there are eight people outside my house, that’s super uncomfortable. ‘I’m aware of all the ingredients that create the thing we’re talking about. But that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily OK with it.’
