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Olivia Wilde shone on Sunday night at the Hollywood Film Awards.
Held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, the 35-year-old was honoured for the Breakthrough Director Award for her work on the indie film Booksmart.
Wilde cut an elegant figure on the red carpet in a silver-embellished white jacket with fluted waist and matching long skirt.
She posed for photos with Laura Dern, who also received the Hollywood Supporting Actress Award for playing a fiery divorce attorney in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, and also with Kaitlyn Dever, the young star of Booksmart who was also excellent in the recent Netflix series Unbelievable.
Wilde was an actress before she was a director, best known for her role as a secretive bisexual doctor in the TV series House. She also starred in Hollywood films including Cowboys & Aliens, Tron: Legacy and Butter opposite Jennifer Garner, who presented Wilde with her award on Sunday.
Interviewed on the red carpet, Wilde said, “it is exciting to be here as a director. I’ve spent my entire career coming to these events as an actress, as someone who admired directors deeply and loved films deeply but that wasn’t my crew, that wasn’t my class, they were people I hoped to work for. So to come back and be able to call them my peers and to be confident in what I have to offer in that conversation is truly mind blowing.”
Posting on Instagram following her win, Wilde said, “What a crazy honour to be in that room as a director. My 👑 @jennifer.garner graced me with her presenting presence, and I blacked out and rambled a speech with lots of sports metaphors I have no business using. Thank you, Jen, for taking the time to be there and reminding the world of my proudest Louisiana stripping days on Butter.”
Booksmart stars Dever and Beanie Feldstein (Jonah Hill’s sister) as two friends who, having worked hard for their entire schooling, decide to let their hair down in a big way on the last day of class. The film received almost unanimously glowing reviews, with Vox critic Alissa Wilkinson saying Booksmart feels memorable and relatable because it taps into the truth that “When you’re a teenager […] your biggest enemy is usually yourself.”
Wilde will soon star in Richard Jewell, directed by Clint Eastwood. She is also signed on direct and star in a psychological thriller about a 1950s housewife, Don’t Worry, Darling, and will also direct a holiday comedy with her Booksmart writing and producing partner Katie Silberman.
