Olivia Wilde reflects on marriage to Italian prince at 19: 'Wait, what the f--- did I just do?'
Olivia Wilde reflects on marriage to Italian prince at 19: 'Wait, what the f--- did I just do?'
Emlyn TravisThu, June 18, 2026 at 2:52 PM UTC
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Olivia Wilde in 2024Credit: Amy Sussman/GettyKey Points -
Olivia Wilde is reflecting on her marriage to Italian prince Tao Ruspoli.
She tied the knot with the Italian-American filmmaker in 2003 when she was just 19 years old.
The couple ultimately announced their separation in 2011.
Olivia Wilde is looking back at her "romantic and insane" decision to get married to an Italian prince at Burning Man when she was just 19 years old.
TheDon't Worry Darling director opened up about her experience tying the knot with Italian-American filmmaker Tao Ruspoli, son of late Italian prince Alessandro Ruspoli, after just a few months of dating back in 2003.
"It was at Burning Man. The decision was made at Burning Man, and I believe there was a Burning Man ceremony," Wilde recalled on a recent episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast. "And then the paperwork was done back in Los Angeles with a man who I think we found on the internet and showed up, so we signed a paper that's probably invalid."
Tao Ruspoli and Olivia Wilde in 2010Credit: Brian To/WireImage
The actress was thrilled about their whirlwind wedding… until she realized what they'd actually done.
"Then I was like, 'All right!' Then immediately was like, 'Wait, what the f--- did I just do?'" she said. "Because I had a pattern already at that point of spontaneous decision-making. I think that is one of the beauties of youth, but I would get myself into a whole bunch of trouble all the time."
Wilde also clarified that she wasn't looking to get married prior to meeting Ruspoli. "I think it seemed like probably the craziest thing to do, and it was so romantic and insane that I think I was like, 'Yeah, let me do the most unexpected, insane thing," she said. "Of course, my parents were like, ' Oh my God.'"
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She explained that the wedding was in itself an act of "rebellion" of sorts, adding, "Because I could have done anything, the way I rebelled at that point was to do this thing that was really traditional."
Still, she and Ruspoli "did not have a very traditional marriage," she said. "It was very bohemian," she noted. "And I am grateful for it because it meant that I spent most of my twenties [that way]."
Wilde and Ruspoli ultimately announced their separation in February 2011, with their divorce being finalized later that same year. At the time, Wilde was just 25 years old. "And that was my only marriage," she added. "I never got married again."
Wilde noted that their relationship ended on good terms after coming to the realization that they had both grown up.
"It was not a very tumultuous breakup. It was just like, this is clearly… We have grown up, we're in very different stages of life," she said. "And, you know, and it's funny now, like we're friends. I mean, it seems like a hundred thousand years ago. It's crazy."
Watch Wilde discuss being married to Ruspoli in the clip above.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
