Interview by Elisa Leonelli
Olivia Wilde stars in and directs The Invite, shot on 35mm film in chronological order inside one set, the San Francisco apartment of married couple Angela (Wilde) and Joe (Seth Rogen), who invite for dinner their upstairs neighbors, Piña (Penelope Cruz) and Hank (Edward Norton), and they are surprised when a polyamory experience is suggested.
An American remake of the Spanish film The People Upstairs (Sentimental, 2020) by Cesc Gay, it was remade in several countries, including Italy (Vicini di casa by Paolo Costella).
Wilde talks about the cinematic influences on her third directorial effort, after Booksmart (2019) and Don’t Worry Darling (2022).
12 Angry Men (1957) directed by Sidney Lumet starring Henry Fonda
“The Invite finally offered something simple enough to create the framework for the kind of production I had dreamed of, trying to aim for 12 Angry Men (1957) by Sidney Lumet.”
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) directed by Mike Nichols from the 1962 play by Edward Albee, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
“Part of why I’m so inspired by Mike Nichols in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is that one of his great strengths was investigating how human beings relate to each other, and the texture of relationships of all kinds. You can feel the cinematography adjust, as the characters get drunker and more emotional, the camera itself seems to get drunker, and closer.”
Husbands and Wives (1992) written and directed by Woody Allen, starring Allen and Mia Farrow.
“I put in the Oscar Wilde quote -One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry- hoping it would contextualize the film the way so many of my favorite filmmakers and authors do. For me, it’s a nod to Woody Allen, who was fond of opening with a quote to give a sense of the filmmaker’s perspective. Husbands and Wives was a major influence.”
In the Mood for Love (2000) by Wong Kar-wai
“I thought about Wong Kar-wai talking about In the Mood for Love, and how you don’t really know what your movie is until your actors tell you. They’re the ones peeling their hearts off into the characters, and only then can you understand the relationship you’re trying to portray.”
Amour (2012) written and directed by Michael Haneke, starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva.
“There are several films to look to for inspiration. Amour is a great recent example of something built on a single stage that still feels real through sound design and lighting.”
“I wanted to aim for a kind of Robert Altman naturalism in the dialogue, letting everyone overlap, improvise and find a rhythm, almost like a harmonizing jazz quartet, so it would never feel overly prepared but also never meandering.”
Diane Keaton in Annie Hall (1977) written and directed by Woody Allen.
Diane Keaton-Annie Hall
“The Invite is dedicated to Diane Keaton. I had the pleasure of working with her years ago on a film (Love the Coopers, 2015) where I played her daughter and she was so encouraging to me. She was so inspiring as a mentor, obviously, as a director herself, she really believed in the boldness it takes to direct. As an actress, she defined the most interesting kind of woman I’d ever seen onscreen. Annie Hall was a lightbulb moment for me in terms of the kind of characters I wanted to play. Having grown up loving Lucille Ball, I felt Diane evolved that kind of vulnerable, empathetic, idiosyncratic woman who operates on instinct, impulse and heart, and turned her into someone who could also be incredibly intelligent and complex. For many years that kind of woman had been portrayed as less intelligent -the archetype Marilyn Monroe so brilliantly played- and Diane Keaton changed everything with her depiction of Annie in Annie Hall, certainly for me. This character of Angela that I play in The Invite wouldn’t exist without Diane, and I don’t think my movie would either, because she was in so many films that inspired all of us. She had that combination of intelligence and empathy we were all aiming for, and she once told me to put my heart on my sleeve. This movie is the most vulnerable, personal thing I’ve done, and I thought of Diane the whole time. I was so excited to show her the film, I was actually editing it when I heard the news of her passing, and I knew in that moment that I made The Invite for her.”
This character of Angela that I play in The Invite wouldn’t exist without Diane, and I don’t think my movie would either, because she was in so many films that inspired all of us. She had that combination of intelligence and empathy we were all aiming for, and she once told me to put my heart on my sleeve. This movie is the most vulnerable, personal thing I’ve done, and I thought of Diane the whole time. I was so excited to show her the film, I was actually editing it when I heard the news of her passing, and I knew in that moment that I made The Invite for her.”
English version of interview published by Best Movie, Italy.