Olivia Wilde on 'Deep Love' with Harry Styles: We 'Go Out of Our Way to Protect Our Relationship'

Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles are protective of their love.

Wilde, 38, told Variety in a cover story published Wednesday that she's "not going to say anything about" her relationship with the pop star, 28, "because I've never seen a relationship benefit from being dragged into the public arena." During the interview, the director/actress spoke about collaborating with Styles on her upcoming film Don't Worry Darling, where the pair originally met.

"We both go out of our way to protect our relationship," Wilde added. "I think it's out of experience, but also just out of deep love."

Wilde did not further discuss her romance with Styles but also told Variety she thinks "the whole culture of celebrity gossip is interesting as a distraction tool to numb people from the greater pains of the world."

"Escapism is really a very human quality, searching for something to anesthetize the painful reality of so many people's lives," Wilde told Variety. "I don't blame people for seeking escapism, but I think the tabloid media is a tool to pit women against one another and to shame them."

RELATED: Olivia Wilde Calls Jason Sudeikis Serving Custody Papers Onstage a 'Vicious' and 'Appalling' Attack

Zoe McConnell for Variety

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Wilde said the last two years of her personal life — breaking up with Jason Sudeikis and getting together with Styles — were a "restructuring and a revolution that should be a totally personal experience."

"And it's not," she said, referencing such public incidents as Sudeikis' public serving of custody papers while she presented onstage at CinemaCon in April. "The most painful element of it has been women shaming me for making a decision that was for my own health and happiness."

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Wilde told Variety that she thinks she is impacted by a double standard that criticizes her for dating a younger man and unfairly labels her an absentee mother: "When people see me not with my kids, it's always 'How dare she.' I've never seen anyone say that about a guy. And if he is with his kid, he's a f---ing hero."

Rachel Murray/Getty; Dia Dipasupil/Getty Olivia Wilde; Harry Styles

On Monday, Styles told Rolling Stone in a cover story about his choice to protect romantic relationships from his intense fans and why he's long decided to keep his sexuality to himself.

"I've never talked about my life away from work publicly and found that it's benefited me positively," Styles said. "There's always going to be a version of a narrative, and I think I just decided I wasn't going to spend the time trying to correct it or redirect it in some way."

"Sometimes people say, 'You've only publicly been with women,' and I don't think I've publicly been with anyone," Styles added. "If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn't mean you're choosing to have a public relationship or something."

Styles called Wilde "incredibly focused" in her role as a director on Don't Worry Darling (in theaters Sept. 23) in an email he sent Variety while on tour.

"She communicated what she was looking for from the cast with both clarity and respect," he said. "I think transitioning from acting into directing has made her a director who knows how to get the best out of everyone."