Olivia Wilde Spilled Secrets of Rocky Romance to Jason Sudeikis in Rehearsals for New Film 'The Invite': Source

Olivia Wilde's new relationship black comedy The Invite was shaped by unusually candid rehearsal sessions in which the filmmaker and her cast drew on deeply personal experiences of love, marriage and heartbreak – with sources telling OK! discussions surrounding Wilde's own split from Jason Sudeikis became part of the creative process as the ensemble searched for emotional authenticity.

Wilde, 42, directs and stars opposite Seth Rogen, 44, in The Invite, a comedy about a married couple forced to confront the cracks in their relationship after inviting their sexually adventurous neighbors, played by Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, to dinner.

Before filming began, the principal cast gathered for extensive discussions about relationships, fidelity and intimacy in an effort to ground the film's emotional conflicts in real-life experiences.

According to sources, Wilde was brutally frank about the challenges which informed her approach to the story, with conversations becoming increasingly personal as rehearsals progressed.

A source close to the production said: "The rehearsals quickly became less about reading lines and more about exploring what relationships look like behind closed doors. Olivia wasn't afraid to draw on difficult experiences, and everyone responded with the same honesty. She talked a lot about her split with Jason and revealed a lot of their breakup secrets in the process. It created a level of trust that carried through the entire production."

Describing the rehearsal process, Rogen has said: "We all just kind of sat in a room and sort of read through the script, but mostly talked about kind of what we all thought made a good marriage and maybe made a bad marriage and made a healthy sexual dynamic and an unhealthy [sexual dynamic]."

He continued: "It got very personal very fast with a lot of the actors because that's what the movie is about. I think in order to make it feel as real and reflective of the filmmakers and the team's lives as possible, we all really got very honest with one another and I think it made the film much better and a lot of it worked its way into the film in various ways."

Another source familiar with the production said the openness shown by Wilde encouraged the rest of the cast to share experiences from their own lives.

The insider added: "Nobody was being asked to relive painful moments for the sake of drama, but everyone contributed something personal. Olivia helped create an atmosphere where those conversations felt natural, and that honesty ended up informing the performances."

Wilde said she hopes audiences recognize elements of their own relationships in the film rather than viewing it simply as a comedy.

She added: "Conversations that stem from a comedy are really about people recognizing themselves and laughing at even difficult things, and there's this sense of catharsis and relief of, 'Oh man, life is tough and we're all just doing our best.' The movie is meant to make you feel that and to have a good time."

She added: "And that energy has really permeated the whole experience and even the press experience. I just feel kind of more relaxed and confident than ever."

Reflecting on her future behind the camera, Wilde said making audiences laugh has become an increasingly important ambition.

She said: "I don't want to jinx it, but I really hope to be able to put more comedies in the world. I think that if my purpose in this business was to bring fun people together and be silly and allow everyone to laugh, then I will have done something valuable."

Sudeikis and Wilde, who were engaged for seven years, officially ended their nearly decade-long relationship in November 2020.

Wilde later revealed their romantic breakdown was heavily influenced by them growing apart, pointing to a tense car ride in March 2020 where they realized they had become strangers to one another.

Their split subsequently evolved into a highly publicized and contentious legal battle over custody of their two children.

The situation reached a dramatic and controversial peak in 2022 when Sudeikis's legal team served Wilde with custody papers onstage while she was presenting at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

Further complicating the dynamic, Wilde began a highly publicized relationship with pop star Harry Styles – whom she directed in the film Don't Worry Darling – prompting debate and tabloid speculation over the timeline of when she and Sudeikis actually separated.

The situation was further sensationalized by claims from their former live-in nanny, which both Wilde and Sudeikis jointly and publicly denied.

Despite the tumultuous separation, the two managed to officially settle their child custody dispute by late 2023 and have since transitioned into successful, cooperative co-parents to their children.