Olivia Wilde has once again drawn attention for her notably thin frame, sparking concern among fans during recent public appearances. The actress and filmmaker addressed past comparisons to the character Gollum from "The Lord of the Rings," which arose after a viral video interview in April.
During a screening of her latest directorial effort, "The Invite," held at Picturehouse Central in London, Wilde's appearance prompted a wave of comments from online observers. Many expressed worries about her health, with one viewer writing, "I really like Olivia and for that reason I’m concerned by her appearance here. 'doesn’t look healthy.'"
Others speculated about her eating habits or suggested she might be experiencing body dysmorphia. Reactions shared online included "Omg…scary," "Dude quit the Ozempic," and "You look like a skeleton."
This is not the first time Wilde’s appearance has drawn such commentary. In April, a red carpet video interview led some to compare her to Gollum. Wilde herself acknowledged the resemblance in an interview with The Cut, stating, "I did look like Gollum."
Speaking on the podcast "Call Her Daddy," Wilde discussed the "Gollum" uproar with humor. "I was looking like an actual dead body!" she joked, comparing herself to "a dead sarcophagus man" from "Tales from the Crypt." She recounted seeing the viral photo and initially thinking it wouldn't gain traction, only for it to "go f***ing everywhere."
Wilde explained that she found solace in friends who made jokes about the situation, often before she did. "We had to laugh!" she said.
Her younger brother, Charlie Cockburn, also humorously compared her to Gollum in an Instagram video, which Wilde captioned with, "Leave it to your little brother to give you the maximum amount of s***." In the video, she reassured him that she was "not dead."
Wilde is currently promoting "The Invite," which she co-wrote with Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. The film, adapted from a 2020 Spanish movie, stars Wilde alongside Penelope Cruz, Seth Rogen, and Edward Norton. Wilde and Rogen portray a couple experiencing marital difficulties who are disturbed by the sounds of their upstairs neighbors, played by Cruz and Norton.
In earlier interviews, Wilde has spoken about how her insecurities surrounding her appearance have influenced her public image. She recalled accepting the number one spot on Maxim's Hot 100 list in 2009, noting that a part of her that felt like an outsider in high school found validation in being desired.
Although she recognized the problematic nature of her career being tied to a "fickle, subjective definition of beauty," she admitted that her status as a sex symbol did contribute to her acting career. "It led to casting," she stated, adding, "You have to take responsibility for your participation in that self-objectification."
Wilde also noted the pressure to maintain a certain image of attractiveness. "And then, inevitably, anytime someone uses a superlative to describe you like: 'You're the hottest,' there's gonna be a whole bunch of people who are like, 'I don't think so. I think you're the ugliest,'" she said. "And then that's the thing that the inner part of you actually is gonna agree with, because you're gonna be like: 'See? I'm not the prettiest. I'm the ugliest and I knew it and they see it and now I have to run from that."