Olivia Wilde prefers her work to be provocative rather than uninteresting.

Olivia Wilde, a seasoned actress and director, stated that she does not require approval when selecting a project to work on.

Wilde, a filmmaker who has been in the industry since she was 20, stated at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that she wasn't looking for acceptance or love from the audience but was instead pursuing projects with an element of uncertainty.

Deadline reported that Wilde stated that she was naturally drawn to roles with some level of risk, which influenced the types of projects she was invited to join.

In 2003, the controversial TV series "Skin" catapulted Wilde's career.

In 2004, she guest-starred as Alex Kelley in "The O.C." and portrayed a bisexual bartender who had romantic relationships with both Adam Brody and Mischa Barton's characters. However, her storyline with the latter caused controversy and led to her being written off the show.

Despite not being perturbed, Wilde says she has pitched projects that people know she won't be afraid of. She believes that part of this is being willing to not be accepted, celebrated, or loved by everyone.

When you equate filmmaking or acting with fame or acceptance on a large scale, it limits opportunities for risky work. Therefore, it is crucial to avoid becoming overly focused on being accepted or loved.

In 2019, Wilde made her directorial debut with "Booksmart," a coming-of-age film that was well-received. However, her next film, "Don't Worry Darling," in 2022, was more controversial and involved scandals both on and off the set. The movie featured actress Florence Pugh and pop star Harry Styles, whom Wilde later dated.

Wilde would rather be known as controversial or have her work disliked than conform: "I’d rather be controversial than boring. You never want to make a movie as a director that people are like, ‘Eh, I don’t know, I felt nothing.’ I’d rather people hate it than feel nothing."

"It was important to me to never become overly focused on being accepted or loved." — Olivia Wilde

Wilde plans to focus on more challenging work to avoid boredom and her biggest fear of becoming lazy as an artist.