Olivia Wilde’s Philosophy of Sexy

By Sara A. Bibel
Fancast.com

Olivia Wilde is a double winner. Not only is she one of fancast’s Sexiest Women on Television, but her show, House is one of our picks for tops shows of the year. The actress, who plays the complicated, secretive Dr. Remy “13″ Hadley, revealed herself to be much more than a pretty face, and a spectacular body, in her interview with fancast.

What was it like joining the cast of an established hit show in its fourth season?

It’s always scary at first when you join a new high school. That’s how it feels, like you’re changing high schools senior year. Because the cat of House is such an unusually friendly and welcoming group of people, they made it really easy for me. I got to join with all these other new people, which was great because they were a merry band of pranksters and we had a lot of fun.

What do you think 13 added to the show?

She’s different from the other characters in that she’s a private person. She’s unpredictable and ambiguous and I think that really frustrates House and make shim want to challenge her and see how much of his manipulation she can take.

House is so consistently excellent. What’s the secret to the show’s success?

We have brilliant writers who are constantly coming up with unpredictable storylines and have great insights into human behavior. They’re very aware that people can say one thing and mean another. That’s why there are so many layers to the show.

What was your favorite moment of 13’s so far?

There was an episode where she was in a position where she could have killed herself and avoided falling apart from Huntington’s disease. She demonstrated that she was willing to take huge risks because she didn’t want to deal with a painfully slow death. She’d rather die quickly. There’s a moment where she decides she’d rather live. She says, ‘I don’t want to die.” For me, that changed everything about how she conducted herself.

Is there anything exciting coming up for 13 that you can reveal?

There’s some personal stuff coming up. It’s kind of a lighthearted, optimistic silly side of her that’s brought out by love.

What’s it like to work with Hugh Laurie?

It’s really fun. With Hugh you always know you’re going to have an interesting conversation and you’re going to laugh a lot and you’re going to learn a hell of a lot about acting. Just watching him, being in the same room while he;s working, is a huge acting lesson. I think it’s really cool that he has created a character that will go down in television history as one of the most complicated and interesting characters.

How has being on House changed your life?

I have become very interested in medicine. I was never a science person before. Since I’ve joined the show I’ve found my inner scientist. I’m particularly interested in neuroscience and psychology. It’s introduced me to a whole new part of my brain. That’s the great thing about being an actress. You get to learn about things you never would have otherwise.

We, and a lot of other publications, think you’re one of the sexiest actresses on TV. When you look in the mirror do you see a sex symbol?

No! Who does? It’s really very kind of people to even suggest such a thing. For me, sexiness is about confidence. When you feel confident, you feel sexy. Confidence comes from really knowing who you are and being comfortable with that. At this point in my life I feel like I’m growing every day and learning more about myself and trying to contribute as much as I can to the world around me. As I do that, I grow more confident. Maybe that shows on the outside and then people say nice things about me being sexy.

Who do you think is sexy?

People who have a certain edge to them and don’t really give a s–t about what people say about them, people who are unique. People who are surprising. Angelina Jolie really defined sexiness for this generation. She’s not just a pretty face. She puts her money where her mouth is. I find that very cool and inspiring. Barack Obama — who could be sexier? Someone who is incredibly confident and has a tremendous responsibility towards the world and takes care of himself and has a great sense of humor. I still think Clint Eastwood is sexy. When he stands on stage accepting an award, he is very grounded and confident. That’s the definition of sexy.

How do you stay in such great shape while working long days?

I don’t! Only now am I getting in shape because I’m doing the movie Tron 2 this spring so now I have to get in really bad ass shape because I’m going to be playing a warrior. For the first time I’m exercising a lot and taking care of myself. Before this, I’ve been really lazy. I was a dancer for many years and a horseback rider. But when you’re working eighteen hour days there’s no way to keep yourself active enough. I try to use my Sundays as an opportunity to do some yoga or go on a bike ride. It’s therapeutic as much for my mind as my abs. I’m a vegetarian and I actually like healthy food, but there’s nothing better than hot, salty bread. I’m a total wino, too. So those things combined make it hard.

What’s the most memorable pick up line someone has used on you?

When I was on The OC I played a bisexual character. After that aired a lot of girls started coming up to me and I’ve heard a lot of pick-up lines. People always make some sort of joke about a character I’ve played and I’m always the last one to remember the stuff they’re talking about.