Olivia Wilde Shocked by Penelope Cruzs Kiss!

has shared the 'shocking' moment that improvised a kiss with her while they were filming The Invite.

The actress, 42, both directs and stars in the upcoming film, and focuses on two couples who come together for a dinner party, before the night takes a chaotic turn.

Olivia has now shared that while filming together, she was stunned when Penelope decided to improvise a kiss scene.

The star confessed her 'mind went blank' because she was 'so struck' by the impromptu moment.

Olivia and Penelope star alongside and  in the film, and it has earned praise from critics for being 'perversely funny' and a 'sophisticated farce.'

She said: 'There's a moment in the film where she improvised a kiss with me.

'I was so shocked when she did it, that I actually turned my head and looked directly into the lens, and then through my camera operator, who said ''Olivia,'' and I said, ''Namaste!'' for some reason. 

'That's the only thing that came to my mind, Namaste, and everyone was like, what, and I was like, I don't know, my mind went blank because I was so struck by this moment. I lost control. I was so madly in love with it.'

Speaking on Jessie Ware's Table Manners podcast, Olivia also shared that originally she had no interest in starring in The Invite, and only wanted to direct the film.

She said: 'I didn't want to star in it. I didn't want to be in it… I just wanted to nail the direction.

'The cast, Edward and Seth and Penelope, kept saying… ''We think you should do it'.' I was so struck because it just hadn't occurred to me. 

'I weirdly had, like, I think imposter syndrome about acting in it, but for some reason not about directing.

'I don't know, I think at this point I feel like a much better director than actor.'

Detailing the film, she added: 'So essentially it's about on the surface what seems like an unhappy couple and a happy couple colliding for one night to have a dinner party that goes kind of off the rails and leads to unforeseen conclusions for everyone. 

'What it really is is a story about relationships that tries to figure out why they work or why they're not working, and if it potentially has something to do with how little we communicate, particularly about sex. 

'And it's based on a great Spanish film called The People Upstairs. Yeah, that was itself based on a play by the same writer-director.'

The film marks Wilde's third directorial project.

She previously directed Booksmart (2019) and the critically divisive Don't Worry Darling (2022), which stars her ex-boyfriend Harry Styles.

The script for The Invite was penned by Parks and Recreation star Rashida Jones, Will McCormack and Cesc Gay.

While promoting the film, Olivia also addressed rumours that dogged her previous directorial effort Don't Worry Darling, and the film's star Florence Pugh.

At the time, Wilde and Pugh's feud was reported to have begun as a result of the filmmaker's relationship with - with Pugh allegedly upset her director was hooking up with

Wilde specifically denied a claim she and Florence got into a 'screaming match' on the set of the film, a movie about women who were unknowingly made to become Fifties housewives at the behest of their boyfriends. 

'I have never had a screaming match on my set. I was never not available on set. I wanted to be like, "None of this is true",' she told the publication. 

The rumours contaminated not just the rollout of the film, but also followed Wilde and Styles around throughout their relationship. 

Wilde, who directed the movie, claimed she was advised against speaking up about the speculation by the studio and other parties - a request she acquiesced to but now regrets. 

'I was told, "Don't say a f**king word. Just go out there and smile",' Wilde, shaking her head, told The Cut. 'I resent that, but it taught me it's not the way I want to handle things.'