Olivia Wilde Says Movie-Loving Girls Are Told to Be Actresses While Boys Are Told to Be Directors

variety.com:

Alex Ritman As one of a handful of actresses in Hollywood who have successfully crossed over into directing, Olivia Wilde claims one of the reasons for this small number was the messaging given to children when they express an interest in cinema. “I think for many young women, when we love movies as little girls, we’re told, ‘Oh, you should be an actress,” she said, speaking at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia. “I think when little boys say they love movies, people say ‘You should be a director.'” Wilde discussed wanting to be an actress from the age of three, and then foregoing college to instead move to Hollywood at the age of 18. “But I said, if I hadn’t worked after a year I’d go back to school, and I was lucky enough to start working.” Wilde’s first job was as a casting assistant, while her first role was the TV show “Skin,” followed by “The O.C.” Her first feature as director would come at the age of 34 with “Booksmart.” “The O.C.” would be Wilde’s first break, but it was the five years she spent starring in “House,” which she claimed was reaching an audience of 27 million per episode, that would see her profile grow dramatically.

In the show, the storyline of her bisexual character Remy was considered so shocking that she said there were “insane death threats constantly coming into the studios” and extra security had to be hired. “But seeing what’s on television now, if you watch ‘Euphoria,’ the fact that that my character was shocking and groundbreaking then, it’s like, no, it’s nothing.” Wilde also discussed the impact of fame on creativity. “The damage that does to an artist is profound, because you stop being as fearless.