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Olivia Wilde on ‘Fighting the Patriarchy’ and Directing Her First Movie (Video)

SXSW 2018: ”It’s about the abuse of power. And what we’re sensing right now is we’ve had enough of that“

| March 10, 2018 @ 12:25 PM Last Updated: May 29, 2018 @ 3:17 PM

Olivia Wilde showed up at the SXSW Film Festival with a new film in which she plays a kick-ass vigilante imposing justice on abusers of women, and guess what? She’s into it.

“I think this film can be seen as an allegory for fighting the patriarchy,” she told TheWrap at our studio on Saturday about “A Vigilante,” written and directed by Sarah Daggar-Nickson. “It’s about the abuse of power. And what we’re sensing right now is we’ve had enough of that.”

The film is a kind of revenge fantasy in which Wilde as Sadie seeks out men abusing women and exacts her own justice.

Also Read: SXSW Lineup Includes John Krasinski Thriller, Jordan Peele TV Show, Daryl Hannah Western

The experience also helped to inspire her to direct her first film, “Booksmart,” which goes into production shortly.

“I’ve wanted to direct for a long time. It takes witnessing other women directing to give you the strength to do it — we cannot become what we cannot see,” she said.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with a few really strong directors — as well as a lot of great male directors… But I had really become inspired in the last couple of years to move from acting and producing into directing, and certainly being on the set of ‘A Vigilante,’ I felt really empowered by Sarah to take creative agency within my role as an actress. She really let me craft the film with her.”

Wilde added, “Coming off of that I definitely felt emboldened to take the leap.”

“A Vigilante” premieres at SXSW and is for sale. Watch the video above.

20 Eye-Popping SXSW Portraits, From Ansel Elgort to Octavia Spencer (Photos)

  • Eiza González, Ansel Elgort, Edgar Wright and Jon Hamm, 'Baby Driver'
  • Bill Nye, 'Bill Nye the Science Guy'
  • Annie Hamiliton, Kristoffer Borgli, Amir Asgharnejad and Brett Gelman, 'DRIB'
  • John Cho, 'Gemini'
  • Josh Duhamel and Giancarlo Esposito, 'This is Your Death'
  • Erin Lee Carr, 'Mommy Dead and Dearest'
  • Nick Offerman, 'Infinity Baby'
  • Michael Vartan, Ian Nelms, John Hawkes, Octavia Spencer and Eshom Nelms, 'Small Town Crimes'
  • Sophie Reid, 'La Barracuda'
  • Todrick Hall, 'Todrick Hall: No Place Like Home'
  • Fawzia Mirza, 'Signature Move '
  • Armie Hammer, Ben Wheatley and Sharlto Copley, 'Free Fire'
  • Emily Beecham, 'Daphne'
  • Warren G, 'G-Funk'
  • Christopher Radcliff, James Freedson, Alex Pettyfer and Lauren Wolkstein, 'The Strange Ones'
  • Bill Pullman, 'The Ballad of Lefty Brown'
  • Tommy Flanagan, 'Ballad of Lefty Brown'
  • Noël Wells, Nick Thune and Andre Hyland, 'Mr. Roosevelt'
  • John Carroll Lynch, 'Lucky'
  • Lysa Heslov and Molly Mae Potter, 'Served Like A Girl'
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SXSW 2017: Filmmakers, actors and producers pose at The Wrap and Getty Images’ studio in Austin on March 11-12

Actress Eiza González, actor Ansel Elgort, director Edgar Wright and actor Jon Hamm, "Baby Driver"

Photographed by Robby Klein for TheWrap

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