A new ‘House’ for Olivia Wilde in ‘Tron Legacy’

Olivia Wilde is a glow in "Tron Legacy."

Credit: Walt Disney Studios

Olivia Wilde is getting ready to escape the shadow of her breakout role in “House.”  She’s already shooting Jon Favreau’s upcoming “Cowboys and Aliens” alongside Daniel Craig, but she was well aware of her new standing in Hollywood almost a year ago when she spoke to HitFix on the set of “Tron Legacy” in Vancouver.  The 26-year-old New Yorker has done action before – sort of – in the horror-thriller “Turistas,” but wielding futuristic weapons is a far cry from engaging with the crotchety Dr. Gregory House on Fox’s venerable drama.

“I use the sword.  I’m the only one who uses the sword and then we have the disc and shields as well as weapons,” Wilde reveals excitedly. “So, it’s kind of cool.”

And then, of course realizing it’s a Disney movie, Wilde smiles and adds, “You will be able to buy them soon.”

Stopping by with co-star Garrett Hedlund in skintight black suits highlighted by electric and glowing looking accents before shooting a major action scene, Wilde says she was “amazed” at how the original “Tron” filmmakers were able to be so forward thinking way back in 1984.

“It’s really amazing to me that they didn’t know what they were talking about when they said programs or bits, bits or anything like that,” Wilde insists. “It was all gobbledy-gook for them.  And they were able to make it sound fluid.  So, that’s pretty impressive to me even when they’re using the desk, the flat computer with the touch screen thing.  That to them must have just been so insane and implausible and to us now, it sort of holds up as well.  I’d still like a desk that could do that.”

Not much is known about Quorra, Wilde’s character in the long awaited sequel except that she’s connected to the missing Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) and teams up with Flynn’s son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), to take down an out of control Master Control Program. 

Secrecy is important even on an embargoed set visit and Hedlund admitted its easier to keep his lid shut than he expected, “I find it’s a little more therapeutic not being able to talk about it.  Cause it’s harder always trying to-- like we’d love to share everything.  But when you’re constantly-- you got the mouse behind you.”

That “mouse” is Disney of course, the studio that was willing to take a big chance that a return to the virtual world of “Tron” could work over a quarter century after the first film became a cult phenomenon.  Luckily, director Joseph Kosinski’s vision is aligning for exactly the sort of experience audiences are looking for after James Cameron’s immersive “Avatar.”  That’s made “Legacy” one of the most anticipated films this holiday season, but even pre-“Avatar,” Wilde was awed by the 3-D technology the production was using.

“I think what’s cool is that we’re going so far beyond the 3-D,” Wilde says. “[They are] really utilizing all the new technology, technology people haven’t heard of yet so it won’t just be the 3-D that makes it special.  I think that’s kind of exciting.  We’ve been saying that the movie should-- the movie will feel like a ride, which is what people expect now from a film. I mean, people’s home entertainment systems are now so advance why do go to the movies?  But ‘Tron’ will be a great reason to go. And I think that’s really fun.”

Audiences will have to judge for themselves with “Tron Legacy” opens nationwide and in IMAX on Dec. 17.

For more from the set of "Tron: Legacy," click here.

For an interview with Jeff Bridges on the "Tron: Legacy" set, click here.