Olivia Wilde Presides Over Sex in ‘Year One’

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on February 26, 2008

What do you get when you combine the other-worldly producer that delivered Knocked Up and Superbad, the guy who wrote Ghostbusters and Animal House, and the comedic tone of Monty Python? You get The Year One, the Harold Ramis directed, Judd Apatow produced biblical comedy that is currently shooting in Louisiana.

The film stars Michael Cera and Jack Black as two wanderers back in the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, whose travels land them in countless sexual situations, including an orgy which is overseen by the princess of Sodom, who will be played by smoking hot “House” actress Olivia Wilde. Wilde spoke with MTV recently about the role, saying that “The script is so funny, I can’t even tell you. I am a huge Monty Python fan, and it’s definitely got some of that Monty Python-esque humor; it’s over-the-top, but it’s very smart.”

Wilde also revealed that Apatow and Ramis have given her some serious freedom as an actress. “The great thing about my character is that she gets to be completely ridiculous; the audience doesn’t have to fall in love with me, I can push it as far as I want…when you are not trying to be likeable, it’s a lot easier to take risks,” she grinned. “You look at what Judd Apatow allowed Katie Heigl to become in ‘Knocked Up.’ Setting her free, and getting these great moments in all these movies…it’s great to be a woman in a comedy where the woman gets to be funny.”

As you can imagine, that “freedom” should lead to a lot of fun for Wilde, who is incredibly hot. I am aware that her being hot has little to do with how her good her performance is, unless she gets naked, that is. Naked or not, Wilde has found herself in the middle of one hell of a project. Harold Ramis might not have been doing much over the past few years, save for cameos and the direction of The Ice Harvest with John Cusak, but it will be nice to see him back in the comedic fray, doing what he does best. Judd Apatow’s involvement is also a win — and we all know why. The guy is, as Ricky Slade would say, “So money, baby.”

Sound Off: What do you think of the cast and creative minds behind ‘Year One’? Is this on your watch-list for 2009?

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