Olivia Wilde Reflects on Being Ranked on “Maxim”'s Hot 100 List and Why the Validation Became 'Dangerous'
Olivia Wilde Reflects on Being Ranked on “Maxim”'s Hot 100 List and Why the Validation Became 'Dangerous'
Michelle LeeWed, June 17, 2026 at 8:08 PM UTC
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(Left) Olivia Wilde in 2009; (Right) Olivia Wilde on 'Call Her Daddy'Credit: Michael Tran/FilmMagic; Call Her Daddy -
Olivia Wilde opened up about earning top billing on Maxim's Hot 100 List in a new interview on Call Her Daddy
The actress reflected on the conflicting emotions she felt for being rewarded for her looks after feeling like she never fit into society's beauty standards
Wilde, who was given the title in 2009, also revealed how she benefited from being recognized for her appearance
Olivia Wilde is looking back on a career milestone that she now admits was the "most f---ed up thing in the world."
Back in 2009, the actress and director, 42, earned the No. 1 spot on Maxim's Hot 100 List, and on a June 17 episode of Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast, she revealed that she had contradicting feelings about being praised for her beauty.
"I remember my publicist called me and said, you're number one, do you want to accept it?" she began. "I remember being like, I understand this is the most f---ed up thing in the world, but the part of me that felt who didn't fit in from high school, the girl who never felt like who fit those [beauty] standards, who felt awkward and wrong in every way, I know that part of me was like, really? You want me?"
The Don't Worry Darling star admitted that it's a "dangerous thing to suddenly be told now you are good" and that "your value is entirely dependent on our fickle, subjective definition of beauty." It took her "many years" to "understand and unravel" the feelings of validation from the accomplishment.
Wilde added that it's "easier" to "never" be placed on a pedestal for her looks because "once you've been told you made it, you're pretty," it can feel like chasing perfection. Earning a superlative, she explained, means that it's also easier to listen to the criticism. "That's the thing, the inner part of you is actually going to agree with."
But she confessed that she used the title to her advantage when pursuing her acting career. "I got roles upon roles from that. It led to casting. You have to take responsibility for your participation in that self-objectification."
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Olivia Wilde at the San Francisco International Film Festival on April 24, 2026Credit: Miikka Skaffari/Getty
During the episode, Wilde also addressed the speculation around her appearance that occurred after she attended the San Francisco International Film Festival in April. At that time, an interview with the star looking like, in her words, "a dead body," went viral as others made assumptions and commentary about her image.
She admitted that she didn't think the photo would gain traction, but after seeing it land "f---ing everywhere," she just had to embrace the hilarity in it. "You have to f---ing laugh at all this s---," she told Cooper.
When the video first garnered criticism — including comparisons between Wilde and The Lord of the Rings character Gollum — she cleared the air on Instagram, saying in a video, "Listen, that's a fish-eye lens. And I admit, is that my best angle? Was that my best-ever look? No. No, it's startling. It's a startling image."
"I don't know why I was so close to the camera. I didn't have to be. That's not the truth," she added.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
