There are actors who court the limelight with every move, and then there are those who seem almost ambivalent about their own fame. Elizabeth Olsen firmly falls into the latter category.
Despite starring in one of the most commercially successful film franchises of all time as Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch, Olsen has never played the part of Hollywood's archetypal leading lady. There's no carefully curated mystique, no overplayed sense of artistic suffering - just a straightforwardness that makes her all the more intriguing.
That's not to say she isn't deeply passionate about her craft. Coming from an acting dynasty – her older sisters, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, were household names before she even graduated high school – Olsen carved her own path, sidestepping early nepotism claims with a breakout performance in 2011's critically acclaimed Martha Marcy May Marlene.
Her ability to inhabit complex, emotionally charged roles soon made her one of the most compelling actors of her generation, even before Marvel catapulted her to global recognition.
Yet, even as the MCU brought her enormous fame, Olsen has been candid about her reluctance to let it define her career. "I'm really proud of the work, but I don't want it to be the only thing I do," she's said of playing Wanda Maximoff, a character whose journey from reluctant Avenger to reality-warping antihero made her one of the most layered figures in the superhero genre.
With the recent Love & Death, a chilling true-crime drama, earning Olsen a Golden Globe nomination, and upcoming Eternity and Panic Carefully pushing the 36-year-old into new areas, it's clear this is someone intently determined to shape her own Hollywood trajectory.
STRIPLV: There's been a lot of talk about Avengers 5 and Wanda's involvement with Doctor Doom. What can you say about that? OLSEN: Not much, as you can imagine. Ultimately, for me, it comes down to being wanted, of course, but it's as much about me wanting to make sure I am taking the character to new places and not just doing it for the sake of it. STRIPLV: Okay, but assuming your role in the Marvel universe will undoubtedly continue, what's the best thing about it? OLSEN: Clever! I think, for me, it's the evolution. When I first started out with Wanda in that cameo role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014, it was a case of having a character, a script, a design for where things may go in future if the cinemagoing public really takes to the idea; but ultimately, you have no real guarantees of what might come. Thankfully, things have gone well, but to see another Avengers movie, then another one, and the constant progression of Wanda through the movies and the spin-off projects has been amazing. STRIPLV: And yet you are always looking for work across other genres. OLSEN: Well, you come into acting to be able to offer something new, something unique. If what you do always ends up looking like or feeling like the same thing, that may be good in terms of money in the bank, but in your soul, you know that's not really a route to being able to look back in years to come and be happy with your choices. And I will say I've always stood by every decision, every role, and of course I would love to take Wanda forward, because where we last left her, she was in this really uncertain place, and I think there are a lot of directions that could go; but I'm always very focused on the quality behind what I do, as well as the quantity. I want to make myself proud, every time, as well as my family, of course. STRIPLV: Have you always been like that, or were you happier back in the early days just to be getting work? OLSEN: Work is always work, and I'm always happy to work. (Laughs) Seriously, to have consistent work is the goal for me. You're so happy when you get your first job. I was over the moon. And then you get your second, your third, your fourth, your fifth, I just couldn't believe anybody wanted to hire me. That was the biggest shock to me. That's the big transition. You know, now I'm picking and choosing, for specific reasons, but before, a few years ago, I would do anything. Anything came my way. STRIPLV: What films were you into when you were a kid? OLSEN: Well, I was always a huge, huge film fan, and I would watch almost anything. Thinking back, though, I was obsessed with Star Wars, I was obsessed with Lord of the Rings, in my world, I was never like, "I wanna just do movies with Woody Allen." I was a fan of all of them, and it makes sense to me that I found myself in this position because I've a brother who's been collecting comic books since he was six years old, which is the craziest thing to me. I feel very lucky that I'm even involved, but it all kind of fits, and being Wanda meant I was always really in touch with who she was and what it meant to be her. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, Joss Whedon thought of me, and I could never understand why, because yeah, I didn't necessarily think I was a good fit. But he saw it in me, and I'm so grateful for that. STRIPLV: Even now, does that mean your brother is always prying for information? OLSEN: He doesn't want information. He doesn't want any spoilers, I can barely tell him anything, he like blocks his ears and just says, "no no no no no". I mean, if anything, I go to him when I need to know something about Marvel. He knows more than I do. Even when Kevin Feige won't tell me what's going to happen, I go to my brother for a heads up because he knows it all, which is super weird, and he's always right! STRIPLV: Are Mary Kate and Ashley fans of Marvel? OLSEN: Probably not as much as my brother. STRIPLV: All these years on from your sisters retiring from the movie scene, do you think it's a shame it's just you carrying the family name forward? OLSEN: It's a shame they don't act anymore, but it's where their priorities lie. They are super-busy doing what they're doing, and the movie world is another pretty distant life for them now. What we all share is the fact that we are incredibly hard-working, and of course, they are so talented at what they do now. STRIPLV: But they had such wonderful screen presence. I'd love to see them back in a movie. Maybe with you? OLSEN: I don't think they're coming back! But never say never. STRIPLV: Were you bitten by the bug, perhaps, when you got to see Hollywood through their eyes? OLSEN: No. I actually didn't want to do acting because everyone in Los Angeles wants to be an actor. It's actually unusual to aspire to anything else, so I stayed far away from it. I thought at one stage, 'I love numbers, maybe I'll be an accountant. Maybe I'll work on Wall Street.' But then I didn't want my life to be about numbers. It was only when I went to college that I started to take it seriously as a career, albeit before then, I was doing musical theatre camps from a young age, and always messing around in front of the mirror, singing and practising songs I'd heard, but then so were billions of other little girls! STRIPLV: Was life at your house strange, compared with your friends, because of their fame? OLSEN: They were just my sisters to me. I didn't see them as these superstars. We had a normal childhood. We fought over clothes and the usual things. I never really saw it that way. STRIPLV: So you weren't ever treated differently? OLSEN: Not really. I mean, when I was in college, I remember I used to have people knocking on my door in my dorm because they wanted to see "their sister". That used to happen a lot. And there would always be the, 'Oh, I'm sorry, is this not so and so's dorm?' It happened so much that I got quite used to it. Which is bizarre, isn't it? I guess people were curious. STRIPLV: Do you still feel hounded, as you used to, in terms of your own fame? OLSEN: I get very little. At the airport, it happens a lot, out of nowhere. But I don't live my life within a level of paranoia. If people say anything, they're always pretty nice. They often don't want a photograph or selfie or anything else; they just say nice things, and who doesn't want to hear nice things about what you do? Thank you, keep it coming. It's a mess when you do a junket like this and can't walk out of a hotel without weird people trying to get you to sign a piece of paper that they'll probably sell on eBay for 30 cents. (Laughs) That's weird. STRIPLV: I'm sure they could get a dollar. OLSEN: I doubt it. They're barely able to make back the printing costs. If they got 30 cents for me, they'd be lucky. STRIPLV: Thinking of Avengers again, the modern female superhero is always really dolled up in these impractical superhero outfits with long cascading hair, never out of place. Was there ever a point where you said to the directors, "This is all a bit impractical!" The girls seemed to fare worse than the guys. OLSEN: All superhero costumes are impractical. You're creating a story that's rooted in character relationships in this world. And you're also trying to create iconic images that are also representative of the comics as well. It's a very important part of it, so you know, even if it isn't functioning, they're trying to make it look cool, they're trying to make it this whole other thing. So I'm not in control of the superhero costume. I'm only in control of saying, "I want to be able to lift my arm above my head!" so the jacket has to have special fabric so I can have full arm motion—stuff like that. STRIPLV: Comic book movies are often accused of being sexist towards women. Do you agree? OLSEN: I'm certainly not there for any romantic plot line, and I really like that. And at the end of the day, it's the battle and the sexiness, it's part of the story. STRIPLV: Have you become a shrewd operator since the gender pay gap became so contested? Or were you always a good negotiator? OLSEN: I'm just happy to be working. I let the people that I hire do my contracts. I'm not joking when I say I would work for nothing, which I shouldn't be admitting because I'll suddenly find my bank account totally empty. STRIPLV: When you got started, how did you feel about specific references to nepotism? OLSEN: Well, nothing because there was no nepotism involved. I worked hard for it and gained my own confidence, so I never have any insecurities about that. And I could have asked them to pull a few strings for me, but it was never needed. STRIPLV: And even after all these years, you're still not on social media? OLSEN: No. It's interesting when people complain about their private space when they take a picture of themselves getting on a plane. It's like, well, everyone knows where you're landing, you just put it on your page, so why are you mad that they're there when you get there? There's a way to go about it, you will have your privacy and obviously certain things are out of your control, but if you don't draw attention to yourself, you should be alright. I'm a bit of a gypsy in that respect. No one ever knows where I am at any given time because I'm always travelling around. STRIPLV: You always seem to have such a natural approach to fashion. Has that always been your mindset? OLSEN: I think so, yeah. I've never been one to overthink fashion. For me, it's about feeling comfortable but also a little playful. I love classic pieces, beautiful tailoring, and really well-made coats. I also love throwing in something unexpected, whether it's a bold colour or a funky accessory. I definitely go through phases, though. One day, I'll want to be all structured and sleek, and the next, I'll just be layering oversized sweaters and scarves and pretending I'm in some cozy autumn movie. But I love that about fashion, it lets you create these little moods for yourself. STRIPLV: Do you have a go-to outfit when you're not on the red carpet? OLSEN: Honestly, if I could live in a great pair of jeans, a cashmere sweater, and a big coat, I'd be happy. I really love coats - I think they pull an outfit together even if you're just wearing something really simple underneath. And boots! I will always be a boots-over-heels person. There's something about a good boot that just makes me feel grounded, and I think that's why my everyday style leans toward effortless. I want to feel comfortable and confident at the same time. STRIPLV: You've travelled a lot for work. Has that influenced your personal style? OLSEN: Oh, definitely. I think when you spend time in different cities, you subconsciously absorb elements of their style. Paris really made me appreciate understated elegance; London is layers and textures because people there mix things in such an interesting way. And I have a real soft spot for relaxed West Coast dressing, easy fabrics, and great vintage pieces. Travel teaches you that there's no one way to do fashion, and that's really freeing. STRIPLV: You have Eternity coming up; what drew you to that project? OLSEN: Eternity is one of those scripts that really lingers with you after you read it. It's this beautiful story, and what I loved about it was how it explores time - not just in a sci-fi sense, but in a really emotional, human way. It asks big questions about fate, about how our choices shape us, and about whether we're truly in control of our own lives. My character goes through this incredible journey. It's ambitious, it's moving, and it has this dreamlike quality that I think will really surprise people. STRIPLV: And Panic Carefully is a very different kind of film, right? OLSEN: It's a much smaller, intimate story, and that's exactly why I wanted to do it. It's very raw, very character-driven, and it focuses on these two people who are kind of stuck in this complicated push-and-pull dynamic. I love films that feel almost like a play, where so much of the tension comes from just watching these characters navigate their emotions in real time. The script really got under my skin - it was messy in the best way.
OLSEN'S WORDS OF WISDOM
On fame "I never wanted my life to be a spectacle. I just wanted to tell great stories."
On acting "If you're not a little scared of a role, it's probably not worth doing."
On comparisons "I don't want to be the next anyone - I just want to be me."
On social media "I deleted my Instagram. I felt like it was taking up too much space in my life."
On mental health "It's important to be honest about struggling. Everyone does, whether they admit it or not."
On success "Success isn't about being the biggest star. It's about doing work you're proud of."