How Olivia Wilde Tried to Not Be Sexy in Tron (Fail!)

Channeling Joan of Arc while playing an warrior computer program, the actress talks about dialing down the sensuality

By Jen Yamato Nov 21, 2010 7:29 PMTags
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No way could 2009's Maxim Hot List topper Olivia Wilde fail to be sexy in the skintight suit and four-inch heels she dons as a futuristic warrior in Tron: Legacy, right?

Right. Epic fail. But she gave it her best shot! 

The stunning former model and House star explained why she tried to downplay her sensuality as Quorra, the fierce female program she plays in December's sci-fi adventure…

"It would have been easier to just let her be the temptress of the Tron world and slink around like a cat," Wilde told E! Online at the press junket for the long-awaited sequel. "I thought it'd be much more interesting if she was sexy despite herself. She's a warrior, so she's very athletic, but she has no desire to seduce."

With a surplus of hot women (including Beau Garrett and Top Model's Yaya DeCosta) slinking around the world of Tron—and its young hero, Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund)—Wilde stands out as much for her seeming naiveté as for her striking physicality. And if she resembles a certain French saint in cyberpunk fetish gear, it's because Wilde also wanted Quorra to look like… a boy?

"Very early on I called [director Joseph Kosinski] and said, ‘I know who Quorra is. She's Joan of Arc.' We agreed that she was Joan of Arc because she was this unlikely warrior, this child who led an army, who had this very rare combination of strength and innocence."

"After I discovered the Joan of Arc connection," Wilde continued, "I asked if she could be kind of androgynous. I kept saying, ‘The Sirens are so sexy! You don't need any more really sexy girls! So…maybe she could just look like a boy!'"

Wilde got her way with Quorra, but who are we kidding—she's still the hottest lady program to hit the Grid since Cindy Morgan's Yori set nerd hearts aflutter in 1982's Tron.

And rest assured, Users: You can get to know Wilde's Quorra even better in the prequel video game Tron: Evolution, to which the actress lent her voice after filming Tron: Legacy. Just don't expect Wilde to set any gameplay records herself, unless it involves a Nintendo console circa 1985. 

"I have had no experience with video games. I'm not really a gamer," Wilde admitted with a grin. "Honestly, the last game I had played was Duck Hunt."

Fine by us, Olivia. Who needs gaming skills when you've mastered the art of riding light cycles in those Tron heels?