Olivia Wilde praises Harry Styles for taking on supporting role in her upcoming female-led film

By Megan Stone

Olivia Wilde is sharing more about Harry Styles' supporting role in her upcoming film, "Don't Worry Darling."

The actress recently opened up about how had she fought in order to get the industry to believe in her project, which stars Florence Pugh and Styles.

Wilde, 36, rumored to be dating Styles, honored the "Watermelon Sugar" singer on Monday by praising his professionalism and talent.

"Little known fact: most male actors don't want to play supporting roles in female-led films," explained Wilde, sharing a black-and-white photo of Styles sitting on the back of a classic convertible.

"The industry has raised them to believe it lessens their power (i.e financial value) to accept these roles, which is one of the reasons it's so hard to get financing for movies focusing on female stories," she continued.

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A post shared by Olivia Wilde (@oliviawilde)

"No joke, it is hard to find actors who recognize why it might be worth it to allow for a woman to hold the spotlight," continued the "House" alum.

That all changed, said Wilde, when the former One Direction singer signed on to play "our Jack."

"Not only did he relish the opportunity to allow for the brilliant Florence Pugh to hold center stage as our "Alice," but he infused every scene with a nuanced sense of humanity," she said. "He didn't have to join our circus, but he jumped on board with humility and grace, and blew us away every day with his talent, warmth, and ability to drive backwards."

Some reacted to her post on social media and claimed that Wilde shouldn't praise Styles, who has acted in one project previously, for taking on a supporting role. The singer made his acting debut in 2017's "Dunkirk."

"It is bizarre that she thinks someone with one released acting project where he had a minor role deserves such a massive round of applause for conceding the lead to a literally Oscar-nominated actor," writer Roisin O'Connor posted to Twitter.

"So we are celebrating an emerging male actor for doing the job he was hired to do? We get it, you love him and he is great but this one is for bare minimum Twitter," writer Hanna Ines Flint also shared.

Styles, 27, joined "Don't Worry Darling" in September after actor Shia LaBeouf exited the film. The movie does not yet have a release date, but it is expected to premiere in theaters or on streaming services this year.

Wilde nor Styles have spoken out about their alleged romantic relationship.