Olivia Wilde, now the world’s leading Harry Styles stan, is heaping praise on her newly minted boyfriend for his performance in the upcoming “Don’t Worry Darling.”
Production on Wilde’s second feature film, a psychological thriller set in a utopian community in the 1950s California desert starring Florence Pugh, Chris Pine and Styles, wrapped over the weekend.
To mark the occasion, the director has been shouting out members of the cast and crew on Instagram. So when it was Wilde’s turn to toast the former boybander, naturally all eyes were on her post, as it’s the first public comment she’s made about him since news of their romance broke the hearts of One Direction fans everywhere.
Before celebrating his “talent” and “warmth,” Wilde first noted how rare it is to find male actors who don’t mind playing a supporting role in films centered around women.
That might seem like a low bar, but as Wilde put it, “Little known fact: most male actors don’t want to play supporting roles in female-led films. The industry has raised them to believe it lessens their power (i.e financial value) to accept these roles, which is one of the reasons it’s so hard to get financing for movies focusing on female stories. No joke, it is harrrrrd to find actors who recognize why it might be worth it to allow for a woman to hold the spotlight.”
But she had no such problem with Styles, who stepped into the role after Wilde reportedly fired actor Shia LaBeouf after he displayed “poor behavior” during the pre-production process and violated her “no asshole” policy. LaBeouf has, of course, since been dropped by CAA amid allegations of sexual abuse and battery from singer FKA Twigs.
“Enter: @harrystyles, our ‘Jack,‘” Wilde continued in the caption, alongside a photo of Styles sitting atop a silver convertible on set. “Not only did he relish the opportunity to allow for the brilliant @florencepugh to hold center stage as our ‘Alice,’ but he infused every scene with a nuanced sense of humanity. He didn’t have to join our circus, but he jumped on board with humility and grace, and blew us away every day with his talent, warmth, and ability to drive backwards.”
Wilde also shared separate posts about Pugh, whom she described as a “director’s dream,” and her longtime friend Pine, writing that he’s “one of the most generous, supportive, intelligent, and skillful actors out there.”
Behind-the-scenes photos have also begun trickling in, with Wilde and Styles seen embracing in one pic alongside cast and crew.
While their working relationship has come to a close, Wilde and Styles’ romance seems to be picking up steam, as the director was photographed moving bags from the Silver Lake home she previously shared with former fiancé Jason Sudeikis to the singer’s home in the Hollywood Hills on Sunday.
Wilde and Styles were first linked together in January. The two were spotted holding hands at the wedding of Styles’ manager months after Wilde and Sudeikis called it quits and ended their engagement after nine years together.