Olivia Munn claims The Newsroom director tried to derail her career: ‘He wanted to…’

Olivia Munn discussed a negative experience on The Newsroom that she faced after creative differences with the director.

Olivia Munn opened up about a troubling experience during her time on the HBO political drama, The Newsroom. The actress revealed how one director allegedly tried to sabotage her career by spreading false claims about her conduct on set.

Olivia Munn says she was wrongly labelled “combative” and “difficult” by a director who clashed with her over creative choices. (Photo by Phillip Faraone / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) (Getty Images via AFP)

According to Buzzfeed, speaking on the June 30 episode of the Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard, Munn, without dropping any names, shared that a director from The Newsroom, which aired from 2012 to 2014, labelled her as ‘late’ and ‘combative’ to other industry professionals. Munn played economist Sloan Sabbith for all three seasons of the Aaron Sorkin-created series.

She shared, "I still got the role. But I will always remember that just because of our conflicts of how we approached a role, he wanted to ruin my chances of getting anything else."

Director spread false claims, says Olivia Munn

During the podcast, Munn reportedly shared that she became aware of the malicious act after her manager informed her she was about to land a film role - until another director, who was allegedly familiar with the show, raised concerns.

Olivia Munn said on the podcast that her manager told her she could land the role, but a director who knew her and was associated with the HBO show claimed she was constantly late and combative.

“I was on the one-yard line for the movie, and my manager calls me and says, 'Hey, you're gonna get the role. But first, I guess there's another director who they know, and he says that on The Newsroom, you were late all the time and really combative,'” she said on the podcast.

Munn then added that she was never late and that she lived seven minutes from the studio.

Olivia Munn claims director acted out after a creative clash

The actor added she promptly knew who made the claims and that he tried to discredit her, likely due to their clash over creative interpretations of her character’s romantic arc with Don Keefer (played by Tom Sadoski). Munn revealed that the director attempted to force her to play the emotional side of the relationship without proper narrative context.

Munn, as per Buzzfeed, claimed that he kept forcing her to carry the storyline only on her side and kept asking her to make a public display of affection at work, which she did not agree to. She said that just because of their conflict over how they approached the role, the director tried to ruin her chances of getting work.

Munn added that this experience, among others, shifted her priorities. She shared that she now wants to do great work that makes her happy and that she wants to live an “easy and happy” life.

FAQs

Did Olivia Munn get along with the Newsroom team?
Munn didn’t name anyone specifically, but she described significant creative differences with one unnamed director during Season 2.

Was Olivia Munn really late on set?
No. Munn insists she was never late. She lived close to the studio and refuted those claims as completely false.

What role was Olivia almost denied?
Munn didn’t reveal the movie’s title but confirmed that she ultimately landed the role despite the smear.

What character did Olivia Munn play on The Newsroom?
Olivia Munn played Sloan Sabbith, a brilliant economist and financial news anchor.