Key Points
Olivia Wilde was taken aback by Penélope Cruz improvising their kiss in The Invite.
Wilde, who directed and costars in the movie, said Cruz “shocked” her with the spontaneous scene change.
The Invite, out now, follows two couples as their dinner party spirals into chaos.
Leave it to Penélope Cruz to surprise her costars and directors with spontaneous onscreen moments.
Olivia Wilde recently admitted that she was “shocked” by Cruz’s unexpected scene change when she improvised their kiss in The Invite (in theaters now). Wilde, who directed and costars in the dark comedy about a couples dinner party that spirals into chaos, said Cruz caught her off guard when she strayed from the script.
“There’s a moment in the film where she improvised a kiss with me,” Wilde recalled on the Table Manners podcast. “I was so shocked when she did it that I actually turned my head and looked directly into the lens. And then through my camera operator, who said, ‘Olivia,’ and I said, ‘Cut. Namaste!’ for some reason.”
Olivia Wilde and Penelope Cruz at ‘The Invite’ premiere in Los AngelesCredit: Brianna Bryson/WireImage
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Despite her surprise, Wilde admitted she admired Cruz’s instincts as a actor and loved how natural the moment felt between their characters. Hence why the kiss remained in the final cut, and is one of the more memorable scenes in the film.
Of her “namaste” remark, Wilde told Table Manners hosts Jessie and Lennie Ware, “That’s the only thing that came to my mind, ‘namaste.’ And everyone was like, ‘What?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ My mind went blank because I was so struck by this moment. I lost control. I was so madly in love with her.”
Lennie noted that losing control was perfect for Wilde’s character, Angela, who loosens her “buttoned-up” persona while getting to know Cruz’s Piña, a sexologist.
The Invite, costarring Seth Rogen and Edward Norton, was written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, adapting the 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs. Critics have commended Wilde’s direction, with the New York Times’ Alissa Wilkinson calling the film a “romp” and “rhythmically enjoyable, while Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com appreciated Wilde’s ability to let herself and the fellow actors “handle most of the important storytelling choices.”
Entertainment Weekly’s own Gerrad Hall deemed The Invite a “funny, smart, tense, and (a)rousing — but also complex and sophisticated — examination of relationships.”
“We were all so locked in,” Wilde told Fandango in June, noting to Cruz that all the ideas she brought to the table were unbelievable.
“The way you touch your hair, the way you touch things around you. There are several shots in the movie where the camera just stays on you for the entire scene and I was just like, ‘Sorry, Seth,’” Wilde explained of a particular moment between Cruz and Rogen. “I’m like, ‘She’s too interesting. I can’t possibly cut away.’”
Watch Wilde on the Table Manners podcast above.
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