Elizabeth Olsen has one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood right now, thanks in no small part to her role as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After starring in several Marvel films, then helping the studio launch their first television series with WandaVision, Olsen is back with a significant role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The latest MCU movie finds Wanda going full-tilt as she vows to bring the Multiverse to its knees unless she’s reunited with her children, Tommy and Billy. The film may have Doctor Strange’s name in the title, but Wanda takes center stage as the multiversal madness unfolds in many ways. While some fans disagree, many feel that Wanda’s MCU arc has been one of the best so far, and now, Olsen is opening up about her character, fame, and future with Marvel Studios.
Speaking with Independent about her latest turn as Marvel’s Mother of Magic, Olsen admits that she’s often surprised by how far Marvel has taken Wanda’s story thus far. “I only signed on to do a couple of movies, so it continues to be a surprise when they want to use me for more projects,” she says, adding: “I’ve been confused by how lucky I got with them wanting to make WandaVision.”
When talking about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Olsen admits that she’s reluctant to dwell on the film’s accomplishments for too long. “I’m trying to ignore it and not talk about it, but that’s what’s going on,” she told the Independent. “I actually do this thing where I get very comfortable with it not taking up a lot of space in my mind, because it’s safer and I don’t feel as vulnerable.”
Olsen says that her disassociating from the projects she contributes to has less to do with their quality but is more about her desire to remain calm and focused. “When we were doing press for WandaVision, I was mortified because it was the first show from the Marvel universe. There was this total fear, and now I have this pressure all over again connecting to Doctor Strange. I just didn’t have it as part of those ensemble films.” Olsen admits that this also goes for viewing the final product. “I’ll see it eventually,” Olsen explains.
Olsen also says that aspects of her aversion to overexposure stem from watching her twin sisters, Mary-Kate and Ashley, battle paparazzi at every turn. The twins were staples of ’90s television. Before stepping away from the spotlight in 2012, they were continually harassed by media outlets and tabloid rags looking for dirt to smear across their filthy pages. Olsen did not wish to suffer the same fate as her successful sisters.
“That was when the media was what I found to be abusive to my sisters,” Olsen told Nylon in 2011. “They would follow us shopping and [Mary-Kate and Ashley] would almost get into car accidents because of the paparazzi, and I didn’t want to be a part of it.”
In 2012, a fan asked Olsen: “How come you’re so much nicer than your sisters?” Olsen then replied, “Because you guys have been bothering them their whole lives.”
“I think my sisters are some of the most amazing people to look at, with what they’ve created for themselves and how they conduct themselves,” Olsen said. “I’m really in awe of what they’ve built, and I do think that came from them having such a healthy perspective – and I could only benefit from that healthy perspective. I think it has informed how I conduct myself.”
When asked about some of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters taking pot-shots at the MCU, Olsen addressed people’s attitudes like Martin Scorsese and Franci Ford Coppola by admitting she gets frustrated when people make Marvel films “seem like a lesser type of art.”
“I’m not saying we’re making indie art films, but I just think it takes away from our crew, which bugs me,” she says. “These are some of the most amazing set designers, costume designers, camera operators – I feel diminishing them with that kind of criticism takes away from all the people who do award-winning films, that also work on these projects.
“From an actor’s point of view, whatever, I get it; I totally understand that there’s a different kind of performance that’s happening. But I do think throwing Marvel under the bus takes away from the hundreds of very talented crew people. That’s where I get a little feisty about that.”
Lastly, Olsen says that she’s game to continue working for Marvel so long as the story she’s involved in is worth telling. “I don’t know how big the plans actually are, but I’m down for anything as long as there’s a good idea attached to it,” Olsen admits.
While Olsen says she’s “curious” about how the X-Men will enter the MCU, she confesses that sitting down to watch other Marvel movies often proves difficult. “Honestly, the Marvel movie magic is lost on me now, which is too bad,” she says. “I have to get my kicks elsewhere.”
What do you think of Elizabeth Olsen’s contribution to the MCU thus far? Do you think Wanda will come back after the events seen in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? Will she be involved with the X-Men at some point down the road? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.