Olivia Wilde’s professional career kicked off in 2003 when she portrayed Jewel Goldman on FOX’s Skin. The series, however, was short-lived and as such, Wilde wasn’t able to cement her status as a household name.
This happened in the next show she was on, and you may remember her as the character Alex Kelly on The O.C., a series that aired between 2004 and 2005. She ventured into film after that, although her days on television were not behind her.
Come 2007, the actress landed the role of Dr. Remy Hadley, fondly referred to as Thirteen on House, a medical-drama TV series. Olivia Wilde has gone on to feature in many more movies and television shows, but her roles in House and The O.C. still remain some of her best performances.
Filmmaker
Now at 35, you have to agree that she knows all there is to know about the industry. She has even graduated to a filmmaker, having directed her debut film in that capacity in 2019. The movie, Booksmart, premiered on March 10, and critics have had kind words to say about it. A 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes is huge, don’t you agree?
About the career change, Wilde says that she has been acting since she was a teenager and it is finally time she moved on. If things go according to plan, she will quit acting altogether and focus all her concentration on being a fulltime director.
A career change isn’t usually an overnight decision, and Wilde’s transition into filmmaking began way back in 2011. Booksmart was just the beginning, and the 35-year-old is already slated to direct three more films.
Speaking to CNBC Make It, the actress cum director says that it is wrong to think that you can’t change your career. As she puts it, most people stick to the path they chose while they were 25 simply because they don’t want to venture into the unknown.
She blames part of this on the country’s college system, saying that it forces us into thinking that you are stuck with your major for life. It shouldn’t be like this according to Wilde, and she says that we should evolve beyond college, and trust that evolution process. According to her, you should never be afraid of change.
Entrepreneur
Similar to many others in Hollywood, Olivia Wilde is also an entrepreneur. She has been a brand ambassador for Revlon, the cosmetic company, featuring in lots of their commercials. Currently, though, the actress is an activist for True Botanicals, a natural beauty line.
Playing her cards right, Wilde negotiated for equity in the company instead of a one-off payment. Celebrities who have taken this route before include Beyoncé and Oprah Winfrey, and they have never regretted their decision.
The former performed at an Uber event and asked for payment in the form of stock, and ended up banking $300 million for it. Back in the day, Oprah asked for equity in her show, and she is currently a billionaire. See where this is going?
Partnering with True Botanicals isn’t just a business move though. She believes in organic skincare, especially after having battle acne for so long. She admits that the change isn’t just for the skin, but rather for her entire body. She tries to eat clean whenever she can and exercises regularly, with walking being her go-to routine.