Lessons from Olivia Wilde’s meticulously crafted screwball comedy about inviting the neighbours over for dinner… and maybe more?

Director and co-star Olivia Wilde explains how tension is built in her breakdown of a scene from her sharply observed, meticulously crafted, and gorgeously filmed screwball comedy The Invite (via The New York Times):

References

From Sidney Lumet to Mike Nichols, Olivia Wilde shares the inspirations and influences for The Invite (via Letterboxd):

Olivia Wilde speaks often on her enjoyment on the collaborative nature of directing. Here, she elaborates on crafting the chemistry between the four leads in The Invite (via IndieWire):

The origin story of Edward Norton’s surprise monologue:

Olivia Wilde says Edward Norton delivered a surprise monologue for 'The Invite' that ultimately became the 'missing link' in the film

"Edward Norton has a scene towards the end of the film where he tells a story. And it's a monologue that he wrote on his own."

"And he said,… pic.twitter.com/QnIyxEsz6S

— crest. (@sonofcrest) September 6, 2026

Production Design

A wonderful detail demonstrating how production design, costume design, script, and performance converge to convey character and story (via Architectural Digest):

Behind the scenes details – including that stunningly character-specific bathroom:

Jazz and Release

Olivia Wilde on two distant points in the film’s journey – from playing together on set, to the fight to get a theatrical release for a comedy (via Deadline):

Music

Composer Devonté Hynes on using only a cello to reflect the story’s claustrophobia and ratcheting tension (via A24):

Film-making

Jumping on the train Ryan Coogler started with Sinners (2025), and Boots Riley joined with I Love Boosters (2026), Olivia Wilde visits Kodak to learn about film processing:

Crucial to the storytelling (and beauty) of The Invite is the meticulous shot compositions by Wilde and cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra:

Double exposure film photography by Jima Nishijima (via A24):

Film Veterans Nerds

As part of the promo for The Invite, Olivia Wilde and Seth Rogen’s chat on The A24 Podcast reveals a lot about how they each work specifically, and their common production experiences:

One of the better promo concepts of the film’s run – Criterion Closet but it’s a living room floor, with these accomplished actors and directors gossiping about their filmographies:

“Thank you“:

Seth Rogen reveals he kept saying “thank you” to Penélope Cruz while filming their romantic scene.

Seth Rogen: We were encouraged to improvise, and there’s a scene where me and her are kind of having, like, a romantically charged moment, and it seems like we might, you know,… pic.twitter.com/EFeA4VhHy5

— Ruzy.hl (@0xRuzy) July 16, 2026

Further Viewing

Among the references for The Invite, Olivia Wilde describes Sidney Lumet’s approach to pre-production as asking “why” about each choice, from props to colours to camera angles, clarifies storytelling intentions:

Film School: Pre-Production

Wilde also cites the way director Mike Nichols “allows actors to be the action sequences”, and locates characters’ shame in sexuality, in films such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) is The Graduate (1967):

Film School: The Graduate (1967)

More of the recent wave of directors talking about working with film:

Film School: Film-Makers Talk Film Formats

I called it as far back as her directorial debut, Booksmart (2019) – and stuck to it through the Don’t Worry Darling (2022) storm – Olivia Wilde should be directing more, and more, and more:

Review: Booksmart (2019)