An old Olivia Wilde comment on feminism in Don’t Worry Darling is getting dragged on Twitter now that the film has been released.

An old interview between Olivia Wilde and Variety, regarding her new movie Don’t Worry Darling, has recently been pulled up by Twitter user @been_herde. She pulled on the claims of feminism that Olivia Wilde staked for the film and refuted them.

Many were quick to take to the comment section, where most of the conversation was split between two groups: those who defended Olivia Wilde and those that thought she was using feminism both as a shield from criticism and as a marketing tool.

Wilde’s original statements, made in the Variety interview, can be seen here.

“Men don’t come in this film,” she declares over cucumber sandwiches and scones at Claridge’s, just blocks away from Buckingham Palace. “Only women here!”

“Female pleasure, the best versions of it that you see nowadays, are in queer films,” Wilde says. “Why are we more comfortable with female pleasure when it’s two women on film? In hetero sex scenes in film, the focus on men as the recipients of pleasure is almost ubiquitous.”

“It’s all about immediacy and extreme passion for one another,” Wilde says of the film’s complicated central relationship. “The impractical nature of their sex speaks to their ferocious desire for one another. I think it’s integral to the story itself and how the audience is meant to connect to them. My early conversations with the cast were all about how the audience has to buy into the fantasy.”

Love Film & TV?

Get the latest Film & TV news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

“Olivia Wilde discusses her approach to focus on female pleasure in sex scenes in #DontWorryDarling: “Men don’t come in this film,” she declares. “Only women here!” wp.me/pc8uak-1lBoqB”

“i have to bring this back bc knowing the context of the film this is genuinely an insane thing to say lmao”

“don’t worry darling is a film about male pleasure. period. to say that there’s any feminist guiding principle in that story is remarkably silly, and to paint sex in the narrative as some sort of liberating act… girl…”

“everyone involved in the writing and development of this screenplay should be banned from using the word “feminist” to describe themselves or their work ever again”

“It’s very frustrating to see so many people shut down critiques of her by saying its sexism. Yes, there’s likely sexism driving *some* critiques of her. Sexism exists in society.

But critiques of the movie, how she talks about it & how she talks about feminism aren’t sexism ffs!”

“yes!! I’m not questioning her comments because she’s a woman, I’m questioning them because they’re ridiculous and downright concerning in the context of the movie”

“movie didnt feel feminist. I was confused people calling it feminist. Man bashing isnt feminist, even if they deserve it. Alice is a strong female character but that doesn’t make it feminist. If the women escaped and put the men in the simulation, that would be feminist”

“Feminism is not “when toxic femininity instead of toxic masculinity”. What you’re describing is the right-wing caricature of Feminism.”

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine