--- description: For Seth Meyers' "Actathalon" title: Watch Olivia Wilde Flawlessly Act Out 10 Hollywood Cliches image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Watch Olivia Wilde Flawlessly Act Out 10 Hollywood Cliches by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 13, 2015 3:07 PM CUT by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 13, 2015 3:07 PM CUT On Monday’s episode of _Late Night_, host Seth Meyers invited Olivia Wilde to compete in the Actathalon, a “multi-stage theatrical obstacle course designed to measure and test an actor’s commitment to the craft of acting.” (The first actor to complete this challenge was [Neil Patrick Harris](https://www.facebook.com/LateNightSeth/videos/553304221486928/ "undefined").) Wilde said she prepared for this event by eating only bean skins and water for a year, so she was obviously ready for the challenge, which involved performing 10 acting clichés as quickly and dramatically as possible. Among them: screaming “why” after receiving bad news, sneaking out of a man’s apartment after a night of regrets, and quitting a job in a blaze of glory. The panel of judges–who were all, for some reason, Johnny Depp impersonators–gave Wilde a perfect 10. ### See All the Best Actresses in Oscar History  1929: Janet Gaynor - Street Angel, Sunrise and 7th Heaven Bob Thomas—Popperfoto/Getty Images  1930: Mary Pickford - Coquette Edwin Bower Hesser—John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images  1931: Norma Shearer - The Divorcee George Hurrell—John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images  1932: Marie Dressler - Min and Bill Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images  1933: Helen Hayes - The Sin of Madelon Claudet General Photographic Agency/Getty Images  1934: Katharine Hepburn - Morning Glory 1968: Katharine Hepburn - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 1969: Katharine Hepburn - The Lion in Winter 1982: Katharine Hepburn - On Golden Pond Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  1935: Claudette Colbert - It Happened One Night Imagno/Getty Images  1936: Bette Davis - Dangerous 1939: Bette Davis - Jezebel Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images  1937: Luise Rainer - The Great Ziegfeld 1938: Luise Rainer - The Good Earth Ted Allan—Hulton Archive/Getty Images  1940: Vivien Leigh - Gone with the Wind 1952: Vivien Leigh - A Streetcar Named Desire Gordon Anthony—Getty Images  1941: Ginger Rogers - Kitty Foyle Hulton Archive/Getty Images  1942: Joan Fontaine - Suspicion John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images  1943: Greer Garson - Mrs. Miniver Popperfoto/Getty Images  1944: Jennifer Jones - The Song of Bernadette Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  1945: Ingrid Bergman - Gaslight 1957: Ingrid Bergman - Anastasia Apic/Getty Images  1946: Joan Crawford - Mildred Pierce Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  1947: Olivia de Havilland - To Each His Own 1950: Olivia de Havilland - The Heiress Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  1948: Loretta Young - The Farmer's Daughter Columbia Pictures/Getty Images  1949: Jane Wyman - Johnny Belinda Jack Albin—Hulton Archive/Getty Images  1951: Judy Holliday - Born Yesterday GAB Archive/Redferns/Getty Images  1953: Shirley Booth - Come Back, Little Sheba Camerique/Getty Images  1954: Audrey Hepburn - Roman Holiday Hulton Archive/Getty Images  1955: Grace Kelly - The Country Girl Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  1956: Anna Magnani - The Rose Tattoo Mondadori/Getty Images  1958: Joanne Woodward - The Three Faces of Eve Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  1959: Susan Hayward - I Want to Live! Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  1960: Simone Signoret - Room at the Top Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images  1961: Elizabeth Taylor - Butterfield 8 1967: Elizabeth Taylor - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  1962: Sophia Loren - Two Women Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  1963: Anne Bancroft - The Miracle Worker Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  1964: Patricia Neal - Hud Gene Kornman–Hulton Archive/Getty Images  1965: Julie Andrews - Mary Poppins Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  1966: Julie Christie - Darling Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  1970: Maggie Smith - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Terry O'Neill—Hulton Archive/Getty Images  1971: Glenda Jackson - Women in Love 1974: Glenda Jackson - A Touch of Class Gordon Film Productions/Getty Images  1972: Jane Fonda - Klute 1979: Jane Fonda - Coming Home Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  1973: Liza Minnelli - Cabaret Terry O'Neill—Hulton Archive/Getty Images  1975: Ellen Burstyn - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore Cynthia Macadams—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  1976: Louise Fletcher - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  1977: Faye Dunaway - Network Terry O'Neill—Hulton Archive/Getty Images  1978: Diane Keaton - Annie Hall Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  1980: Sally Field - Norma Rae 1985: Sally Field - Places in the Heart Harry Langdon—Getty Images  1981: Sissy Spacek - Coal Miner's Daughter Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  1983: Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice 2012: Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  1984: Shirley MacLaine - Terms of Endearment Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  1986: Geraldine Page - The Trip to Bountiful ABC/Getty Images  1987: Marlee Matlin - Children of a Lesser God Kevin Winter—DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  1988: Cher - Moonstruck Evan Agostini—Liaison/Getty Images  1989: Jodie Foster - The Accused 1992: Jodie Foster - The Silence of the Lambs The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  1990: Jessica Tandy - Driving Miss Daisy Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  1991: Kathy Bates - Misery Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  1993: Emma Thompson - Howards End Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  1994: Holly Hunter - The Piano Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  1995: Jessica Lange - Blue Sky Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  1996: Susan Sarandon - Dead Man Walking Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  1997: Frances McDormand - Fargo Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  1998: Helen Hunt - As Good as It Gets Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  1999: Gwyneth Paltrow - Shakespeare in Love Vince Bucci—Getty Images  2000: Hilary Swank - Boys Don't Cry 2005: Hilary Swank - Million Dollar Baby Getty Images  2001: Julia Roberts - Erin Brockovich Kevin Winter—Getty Images  2002: Halle Berry - Monster's Ball Sean Gallup—Getty Images  2003: Nicole Kidman - The Hours Dimitrios Kambouris—WireImage/Getty Images  2004: Charlize Theron - Monster Robin Platzer—FilmMagic/Getty Images  2006: Reese Witherspoon - Walk the Line J. Vespa—WireImage/Getty Images  2007: Helen Mirren - The Queen J. Vespa—WireImage/Getty Images  2008: Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose Steve Granitz—WireImage/Getty Images  2009: Kate Winslet - The Reader Kevork Djansezian—Getty Images  2010: Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side Dan MacMedan—WireImage/Getty Images  2011: Natalie Portman - Black Swan John Shearer—Getty Images  2013: Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook Steve Granitz—WireImage/Getty Images  2014: Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine Jason Merritt—Getty Images  2015: Julianne Moore- Still Alice Anthony Harvey—Getty Images  2016: Brie Larson - Room C Flanigan—Getty Images  2017: Emma Stone - La La Land Jason LaVeris—Getty Images  2018: Frances McDormand - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Craig Sjodin—ABC/Getty Images  2019: Olivia Colman - The Favourite Craig Sjodin—ABC/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4071302/olivia-wilde-late-night-seth-meyers/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4071302/olivia-wilde-late-night-seth-meyers/"},"headline":"Watch Olivia Wilde Flawlessly Act Out 10 Hollywood Cliches","datePublished":"2015-10-13T15:07:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:46:54.082Z","description":"For Seth Meyers' \"Actathalon\"","url":"https://time.com/4071302/olivia-wilde-late-night-seth-meyers/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrity"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Grossman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4071302/olivia-wilde-late-night-seth-meyers/","name":"Watch Olivia Wilde Flawlessly Act Out 10 Hollywood Cliches"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"5 Elements of A Viral Video","description":"5 Elements of A Viral Video","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/vgQtqA8c/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-22T13:42:30.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/vgQtqA8c.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4071302/olivia-wilde-late-night-seth-meyers/","duration":"PT1M31S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4071302/olivia-wilde-late-night-seth-meyers/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```