Olivia Wilde Turns Lord of the Rings Gollum Comparison Into a Mic-Drop Moment

Olivia Wilde got compared to Gollum on the internet and, instead of pretending she didn’t see it, she answered with a joke, a camera-nerd note, and a deadpan closer: she’s alive, thanks.

What set this off

On April 24, at the San Francisco International Film Festival, Wilde hit a screening of her new movie The Invite and did a red carpet interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. The chat itself was standard press stuff — including how crucial San Francisco is as a backdrop for the film — but a close-up angle from the interview made the rounds, and social media did what social media does. Cue Gollum side-by-sides, and a flurry of comments speculating about cosmetic work and weight loss. One person helpfully offered: "My thoughts and prayers are with @oliviawilde and her injector."

Wilde’s answer: self-deprecating and straight to the point

Fast-forward to Sunday, May 3. Wilde, 42, posted an Instagram Story filmed by her brother, Charlie Cockburn, 33. He played mock reporter from behind the camera with: "Olivia Wilde, do you care to address recent rumors that you’re a resurrected corpse?"

Wilde, lying in bed in a hoodie under a pile of blankets, laughed and blamed the gear and the framing — and she’s not wrong, that lens was doing no one any favors. She even dropped a screenshot of that interview frame next to an image of Gollum for emphasis.

"Listen, that is a fisheye lens... Is that my best angle or was that my best ever look? No. It’s a startling image... I don’t know why I was so close to the camera — I didn’t have to be... Do you have any more questions?"

"I’m not dead."

Off-camera, Charlie cracked up. In the caption, Wilde added: "Leave it to your little brother to give you the maximum amount of s***."

About The Invite

The Invite stars Wilde alongside Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penelope Cruz. In that Chronicle interview that sparked all this, Wilde talked up how essential San Francisco is to the movie — not just pretty scenery, but baked into the story’s vibe.

Meanwhile, her love life is also in the chat

Separate but obviously not unrelated to the renewed attention: Wilde seems to be dating art dealer Caspar Jopling. Back on January 28, she posted a cozy shot on Instagram with a man hugging her from behind while her eyes were closed; outlets including Us Weekly said the guy was Jopling, 34. He’s Ellie Goulding’s former husband — they share a 4-year-old son, Arthur — and Goulding and Jopling announced their split in February 2024. Wilde and Jopling were first linked publicly when Page Six ran photos in September 2025 of the two kissing outside a London restaurant.

• Apr 24: Red carpet interview at San Francisco International Film Festival sparks memes and commentary.
• Following days: Online chatter ramps up, including Gollum comparisons and plastic surgery speculation.
• May 3: Wilde answers on Instagram Stories, blames a fisheye lens, laughs it off, and signs off with "I’m not dead."
• Jan 28: Earlier this year, Wilde soft-launched a romance with Caspar Jopling via Instagram.
• Feb 2024: Ellie Goulding and Jopling announced their split; they share son Arthur, 4.
• Sep 2025: Page Six first linked Wilde and Jopling with a kissing photo in London.

Bottom line: not a resurrection, just a bad lens — and a pretty efficient clapback.