Olivia Wilde reacts after viral ‘Lord of the Rings’ Gollum comparison

Olivia Wilde has responded with humour after social media users compared her to Gollum from The Lord of the Rings following a viral interview clip filmed at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

The actress and filmmaker, 42, shared a playful video on Instagram Stories on May 2 in which her brother, Charlie Cockburn, jokingly asked if she wanted to address “recent rumours that you're a resurrected corpse.”

Laughing at the online reaction, Wilde blamed the unflattering footage on a fish-eye lens and an awkward camera angle.

“Is that my best angle? Was that my best-ever look? No. It’s startling,” Wilde admitted. “It was a fish-eye lens... that’s not the truth.” She then quipped, “I’m not dead,” before covering her face with a baseball cap as both burst into laughter.

The viral moment stemmed from a San Francisco Chronicle interview recorded on April 24 while Wilde was promoting her new dark comedy, The Invite.

The unusual close-up angle quickly sparked memes online, with many users joking that the actress resembled Gollum, the gaunt fantasy character from Peter Jackson’s blockbuster franchise.

While some commenters poked fun at her appearance, others defended Wilde and blamed the camerawork. One user wrote that “the cameraman really [did] a disservice here.”

Wilde appeared to take the internet teasing in stride as she used self-deprecating humour to shut down the chatter.

The Invite, Wilde’s third feature as director, stars Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton.