Ireland gets me Off my pedestal
By Olivia Wilde (who says her Irish heritage makes her what she is)
OLIVIA Wilde is so smitten with her fiancé, Jason Sudeikis – the father of her newly born son, Otis – that the mere mention of his name makes the usually serious-minded actress blush and giggle. We meet in the Beverly Hills Hotel, where’s she’s the MC for an event honouring women journalists who work in conflict zones, and she’s visibly excited about her engagement to American actor Sudeikis – and having a drink again following the birth of her son.
There’s no date set for her wedding as yet, but it’s clear that, after first getting married at 19, Olivia, now 30, is convinced that the second time around is bound to be a charm.
‘I’m marrying my favourite drinking buddy, which is good. One should do that,’ she says. ‘My dad is also a great drinking buddy. He’s a good Irishman and they’re always good to drink with.’
In addition to her beauty, it’s no surprise that Olivia is astute and keenly aware of current events. Her father is English journalist Andrew Cockburn, who was raised in Ardmore, Co. Waterford, and Youghal, Co. Cork, and her American mother, Leslie Redlich, is a documentary maker who worked on the respected US news programme 60 minutes. Olivia was born in New York city and educated in Washington DC, but she fondly recalls the time she spent at her parents’ home in Ardmore – and she has a strong bond with Ireland.
‘I have always loved being in Ireland and how I feel when I’m there. I’m not treated like an actress or a celebrity and I think it’s important for actors to leave an environment in which they are treated like gods.
‘Part of the problem of living in LA is that actors are held on a pedestal there and I think that’s really unhealthy for their psyches. It’s a sort of a Mount Olympus and I think it’s important for them to leave because an actor’s job is to accurately reflect humanity and to do that, you have to be surrounded by humans. LA can be so isolating. I like to go to places where I can walk outside and no one takes my picture. That I can do in Ireland and in Haiti.’
Born Olivia Jane Cockburn, the actress changed her surname to Wilde in honour of Oscar Wilde – but he’s not the only Irish literary great she admires. She can name check playwright and screenwriter Wesley Burrowes, perhaps best known for being chief scriptwriter of Glenroe – and Olivia remembers seeing Gabriel Byrne for the first time on the programme.
‘Oh God, even as a teenager, I remember thinking how hot he was,’ she says. ‘Of course I love Shaw and O’Casey and Beckett and Friel. Among contemporary Irish writers, I’m a big fan of Colm McCann and John Banville’s writings.’
A literary sensibility is in her blood; not only is her father a journalist, but so too was her famous grandfather Claud and her uncle, Irish-born Patrick Cockburn, who has written four books on Iraq’s recent history and won numerous journalistic prizes.
‘One of the perils of being from a family of great writers like the Cockburns, is that you fear you will never match up and I wouldn’t dare to assume that I could but I enjoy it,’ Olivia says.
‘I was raised with a real appreciation for the written word, partly owing to who my family is and partly because of how much of my life has been spent in Ireland. I do write on my own. I wrote a film that I directed. I’ve written some non-fiction for different news sites and magazines and I think really, it’s all story telling.
‘Acting is storytelling, so is documentary film making and so is journalism. I hope to get better at writing, as it’s part of my Irish genes.
‘I found Ireland very inspiring when I was a child and much more fun than Washington DC and the people had such an amazing effect on me. I credit a lot of my growth as a child and a lot of my happiness to the people I was surrounded by in Ireland.’
She says she wanted to act from a very early age and deliberately chose Ireland as the place to learn her craft because of what she calls, very frankly, ‘the absence of bullshit’.
She became a household name with a role on The OC, going on to star in the massive hospital hit House and the film Cowboys & Aliens, alongside Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. Having grown up surrounded by politically engaged people, she continued that tradition despite the trappings of Hollywood fame. Not content to confine herself to red carpets and a glamorous celebrity lifestyle, the actress became involved in civil rights issues, campaigned twice for Obama and works in Haiti frequently, alongside Sean Penn. Not surprisingly, she has strong views about people be ing engaged politically in their world.
‘I stand very firmly for what I believe in and I’m certainly not afraid of speaking up. I’ve always been an activist. I’ve always wanted to change
‘I hope to get better at writing as its part of
my Irish genes’
the world and I’ve only recently discovered the power that celebrity gives you to mobilise large numbers of people to support causes and bring about change.
‘The acting community often gets a bad rap, that they’re self-absorbed and apathetic and living in their own bubble and I’ve found it to be the opposite. Artists For Peace And Justice is something I founded in 2008 and we’ve been able to fund several projects in Haiti.
‘Having been raised by investigative journalists, this kind of activism is ingrained in me. I don’t want to just read about what’s going on in the world. I want to go out there and see for myself what’s going on. There’s a long tradition of that in Ireland.’
Notwithstanding her obvious beauty and charm, it’s clear that a pretty formidable brain is at work in everything she does in addition to a very nurturing femininity.
‘I attribute a lot of my success to having a very stable family life and having balance in my life. Doing the non-profit work in Haiti keeps me sane and gives me a perspective on life and career. I think I’ve been successful because of the lesson Jeff Bridges taught me, which is to have a certain amount of diversity in your life. ‘I was raised by a very, very independent and powerful woman who is very intelligent and self-sufficient and also an incredible mother and a loving wife. My father was always very supportive of her and appreciative of her independence and power. I appreciate men who
‘I love children and I can’t wait to have loads
of them with Jason’
like smart, independent women and I’m very grateful for Jason.
‘I love children and feel like a kid myself and it’s been so amazing at such a young age to have done so much. I’m really looking forward to the next stage in my life when I can impart some of the wisdom that I’m now learning. I love children and I can’t wait to have loads of them.’
She was a teenager in Ireland when Mary Robinson was elected President and to this day she says she’s very proud of the way Ireland rejected the established order and instead chose to elect a civil rights lawyer to become head of state.
‘I remember being blown away when she was elected and I continued to be really proud when Mary McAleese went on to fill President Robinson’s shoes. But you know, as well as their accomplishments, I also admire many great feminists in history who have embraced beauty. I think of Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda. I really admire women who can be feminist and fight for women’s rights and believe in our power as individuals and also not apologise for their beauty. I don’t think anyone should apologise for being sexy, if it comes from a genuine place and if they’re not being forced into objectifying situations.’
She’s not shy about sharing her feelings about her fiancé, however, and in Sudeikis, has found another sharp mind. The 38-year-old We’re The Millers actor – who also has Irish blood on both his father’s and mother’s side – was a writer on the satirical comedy programme Saturday Night Live and later became a featured player on the show. The couple welcomed their first son, Otis, on April 20.
‘Being in a relationship, being in love, makes you feel sturdy and confident in a way that I think really allows you to shine. I think it was Yoko Ono who said, “Love is relaxation”, and it really does feel like that. It allows you to be a better version of yourself and if that means you are more attractive, then that’s lovely. Just being in love is the best feeling in the world and I’m in that phase where I’m all giddy now. I’m not usually so mushy,’ she says.
‘I think everyone who looks at Jason knows he’s special and I was no exception there. Without divulging too much, we were friends before and then romance blossomed as it does and the more I learned about him, the more special I thought he was.
‘Being engaged is romantic and fun and I don’t feel a need to rush to the next step but it’s lovely. I feel very lucky in all areas of my life right now.’