Coming to terms with the territory. Harry Styles opened up about his personal life like never before in his new Rolling Stone cover story — and shared intimate details about his romance with Olivia Wilde.
The “As It Was” singer, 28, dished on dating in the public eye during the candid interview, which was published on Monday, August 22. “I’ve never talked about my life away from work publicly and found that it’s benefited me positively,” Styles confessed. “There’s always going to be a version of a narrative, and I think I just decided I wasn’t going to spend the time trying to correct it or redirect it in some way.”
The former One Direction member, who is currently in the middle of his 15-show residency at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, worried some fans would call him a “hypocrite” for wanting to remain private. “When I’m working, I work really hard, and I think I’m really professional,” he said. “Then when I’m not, I’m not. I’d like to think I’m open, and probably quite stubborn, too, and willing to be vulnerable. I can be selfish sometimes, but I’d like to think that I’m a caring person.”
Despite his best efforts, Styles’ love life continues to make headlines. Us Weekly confirmed his relationship with Wilde, 38, in January 2021 after the pair were spotted attending a wedding together. The twosome connected while collaborating on Don’t Worry Darling, which Wilde stars in and directed.
“We were looking for someone with innate warmth and palpable charm,” the House alum told the magazine of casting the role of Jack, the male lead of the upcoming psychological thriller. “The entire story depended on the audience believing in Jack.”
Styles joins Florence Pugh and Chris Pine in the highly anticipated movie, which hits theaters this fall, and he held his own with the star-studded cast. Wilde even recalled one “disturbing” scene where the Grammy winner “left us all in tears” during filming.
“The scene called for him to stand onstage with Frank [Pine] and chant their creepy slogan, ‘Who’s world is it? Ours!’ over and over again. Dark as hell. But Harry took it to another level,” the Booksmart director gushed. “He was so fully in the moment, he began screaming the lines to the crowd, in this primal roar, that was way more intense than anything we expected from the scene.”
Wilde’s public praise for her beau is rare. Since sparking their romance — which came months after Wilde ended her seven-year engagement to Jason Sudeikis — the pair have tried to stay low-key. However, that hasn’t stopped them from facing criticism.
“Can you imagine going on a second date with someone and being like, ‘OK, there’s this corner of the [internet], and they’re going to say this, and it’s going to be really crazy, and they’re going to be really mean, and it’s not real. … But anyway, what do you want to eat?’” Styles teased, noting that sometimes “other people blur the lines for you” when it comes to fame.
The Lazarus Effect actress, for her part, still tries to see Styles’ fans as “deeply loving people” despite the backlash. “What I don’t understand about the cruelty you’re referencing is that that kind of toxic negativity is the antithesis of Harry, and everything he puts out there,” Wilde said. “I don’t personally believe the hateful energy defines his fan base at all. The majority of them are true champions of kindness.”
Scroll down for the biggest takeaways from Styles’ Rolling Stone interview:
