Olivia Wilde met the international press during the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival on Saturday. Her latest film as a director-plus-actress, The Invite, is scheduled to screen in the Swiss town’s big central square, the Piazza Grande, on Saturday evening.
Ahead of the screening in front of 8,000 people, Wilde was asked why she was adamant for the movie to get a run in cinemas. “They bribe you to not take theatrical,” she replied. “We have to fight for it” to have a run in theaters.
“It’s a bribe. They pay you more,” Wilde continued. “Not the filmmaker, no; the financiers will get a lot more money to go to streaming, and you can take that bribe and give that up if that’s where your priorities lie. But we were really lucky that our financier gave me the opportunity to make this decision, which is something I don’t take lightly. She could have very easily said no.”
Concluded Wilde: “A24 has been extraordinary because they really believe in the theatrical game. FilmNation made the international deals around the world, all theatrical. So all these great distributors around the planet have invested in this film being seen in theaters. So, I’m very grateful.”
The filmmaker also suggested: “There is no genre that benefits from the communal [viewing] experience more than comedy.” Comedies have often “been delegated to that second tier that really doesn’t deserve cinema,” she added. But Wilde said she and her partners on the film felt they wanted to allow the film to get a “chemical reaction” from a cinema audience.
Asked about what she took away from making The Invite, Wilde on Saturday shared with the press that it made her “so much more romantic.” Explained the filmmaker: “It melted the cynic out of me.” After all, the film is about the “ridiculous experiment of co-habitation,” she said, adding: “There is so much shame in failing in a relationship.”
With a screenplay by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the movie stars Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton.
The Invite focuses on Joe and Angela, whose marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors Piña and Hawk for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places. The question is: Have they reignited the spark or lit the match that burns it all down?
In her press conference, Wilde also lauded her fallow stars of the film. “I’ve never been a part of something this collaborative,” she shared, speaking of an acting “masterclass” that made her feel like she was part of a “jazz quartet.”
Asked about how much she enjoys the director’s chair, Wilde said: “Directing is the greatest job in the world.”
Saturday evening screening of The Invite was a hot ticket in Locarno. “We are writing to let you know that this evening’s screening in Piazza Grande (Saturday, Aug. 8) is sold out for all ticket and day pass categories,” an email from the festival early Saturday afternoon highlighted. “As a result, we are expecting very high attendance.” It added: “To help ease the flow of entry and ensure the screening starts promptly, gates open at 20:00 — we strongly advise all guests to arrive well in advance.”
