In what has arguably been the biggest news of 2021 so far, Harry Styles is apparently dating the ever-so-enchanting Olivia Wilde.
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The pair were photographed holding hands as they left a wedding together sparking worldwide cries of despair that the former One Direction frontman is off the market, and perhaps a few people question just who Wilde is.
For a certain age bracket, Wilde is a familiar — and perfectly symmetrical — face, but if you are curious as to who Harry’s new paramour is, here are five things to know.
She is an amazing activist
Wilde is not just an actor, but a political activist who has campaigned tirelessly for women’s rights, environmental issues, healthcare and more. The pescatarian philanthropist has also done relief work in Haiti and has worked with Save the Children and the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and is passionate about raising her two kids (with Jason Sudeikis) to follow in her social justice-seeking footsteps.
She played a teen bar manager in The O.C.
I’ll never quite understand how Wilde’s character, Alex Kelly, was allowed to work at The Bait Shop and serve drinks when the legal US drinking age is 21, but I loved her “fauxhawk” and giant butterfly tattoo. Alex was edgy and cool, had her own apartment in which she was often hungover, and even dated Newport princess Marissa Cooper, making her a great addition to The O.C. cast.
She made her directorial debut in 2019
Wilde directed Booksmart starring Beanie Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever in 2019 with the reboot being praised by fans and critics alike. Speaking to The Guardian, Wilde explained her insecurity about moving into directing saying, “I thought: ‘How can you become a director without having studied lenses for years?’ I just didn’t realise that my 15 years on set as an actress had actually been my de facto film school and then I’d been spending that time shadowing great directors and also learning from bad directors.”
She was married to a prince
Before she was engaged to Horrible Bosses star Jason Sudeikis, Wilde was married to Tao Ruspoli from 2003 until 2011. Ruspoli is a filmmaker, photographer, musician and Italian Prince. The pair married after six months, when Wilde was just 18 and Ruspoli was 27. Their split was amicable and they remained mates.
She doesn’t tolerate bad behaviour
Wilde fired disgraced actor Shia LaBeouf from the set of her directorial follow-up, Don’t Worry Darling, and replaced him with none other than Harry Styles. While the decision has apparently resulted in a happy turn in Wilde’s personal life, it was allegedly the result of LaBeouf’s poor onset behaviour.
Variety reported that “LaBeouf was dropped from the film. Though shooting had not started yet when LaBeouf departed, insiders close to the project say LaBeouf displayed poor behavior and his style clashed with the cast and crew, including Wilde, who ultimately fired him.”
And a bonus factoid…
She has a new movie out in 2021
Wilde can next be seen in the drama film How it Ends which also stars Fred Armisen, Zoe Lister-Jones, Nick Kroll and Helen Hunt.