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Olivia Wilde Hid a Sweet Tribute to Her Daughter in ‘Booksmart’

Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, Booksmart, was a smash-hit with fans and critics. But there’s more to her first film than meets the eye.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the 35-year-old actress-turned-director revealed the film is laden with hidden meanings, tributes and Easter eggs. Wilde’s favorite homage, however, is one she specifically placed in the film for her 2-year-old daughter, Daisy, whom she shares with fiancé Jason Sudeikis.

The Daisy tribute occurs about halfway through the movie, when Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are stranded in a pizza place parking lot waiting for their teacher, Miss Fine (Jessica Williams). Wilde explained that the scene is not only a salute to the Clueless scene when Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is left alone in a gas station parking lot after a party, but it’s also a little shout-out to her daughter. You see, right next to the pizza restaurant, there’s a nail salon called Daisy’s Nails. Wilde explained it “is a little nod to my daughter Daisy.”

Additionally, the Life Itself star explained that Amy and Molly “have a lot of posters and language that was all very purposeful,” in their rooms. She added, “There are a lot of tiny Easter eggs.” 

Like what? Well, perhaps you spotted the 1984 poster in Amy and Molly’s English class. Wilde explained, “There is a 1984 poster hanging in the back. And before Booksmart, I had just done six months on Broadway doing an adaptation of 1984.”

She went on to say that she was grateful for the ways the production design team made the movie even more her own: “I really loved that each department was really owning their creative license and adding texture to the movie. It always delighted me when they found a way to incorporate something that was personal to me,” she shared.

Now, we’re off to re-watch Booksmart with our eyes peeled for Easter eggs.

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lex

Cat mom, yogi, brunch enthusiast

Lex is an LA native who's deeply obsessed with picnics, Slim Aarons, rosé, Hollywood history and Joan Didion. She joined PureWow in early 2017.