Olivia Wilde desperate to ditch the 'ice queen' image

Olivia Wilde stars in Third Person

 

Olivia Wilde is proud to have moved away from "badass" roles.

 The actress has played her fair share of icy women but these days she gets offered more varied roles, including Kate in her latest film Drinking Buddies, an alcohol-fuelled rom-com co-starring Anna Kendrick and Jake Johnson. 

But her background in playing the confident, often detached, woman has led to her philosophy on what makes female characters great.

"A good female character is seen as one that's really badass - a femme fatale. But a great female character can often be a complete mess. People thought I could only play the badass so I'd always get those roles. It just doesn't feel very human.

"I got cast in The OC and even initially in House as a very icy, confident, emotionally reserved woman, which is not me. I can't really analyse why. People saw I could do it. But it takes more courage to play someone vulnerable. Power tends to get confused with repression," Olivia told British newspaper The Guardian.

Her portrayal of Dr. Remy 'Thirteen' Hadley in US TV show House gave her access to a global audience and soon movie parts followed.

The 29-year-old actress credits an early role with Helena Bonham Carter in 2005's Conversations with Other Women with boosting her confidence.

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"Helena being one of the greatest actors in the world, I just thought: 'Oh f**k.' But I figured out the scene. It went well. That gave me confidence in matching my own creative powers to the story. I thought: 'OK, I can do this,'" she recalled.