Elizabeth Olsen Draws a Line and Will Not Make Studio Movies Without a Theatrical Release
Elizabeth Olsen has made it clear that she’s done signing on to big studio films unless they’re destined for the big screen. In a new interview with InStyle, the actress talked about her passion for the moviegoing experience and why she doesn’t want to be part of projects that skip theaters entirely.
“If a movie is made independently and only sells to a streamer, then fine. But I don’t want to make something where [streaming is] the end-all.
“I think it’s important for people to gather as a community, to see other humans, be together in a space. That’s why I like sports. I think it’s really powerful for people to come together for something that they’re excited about. We don’t even audition in person anymore.”
Olsen’s perspective makes sense for someone who grew up on indie filmmaking. She broke out with Martha Marcy May Marlene in 2011, and even after joining the Marvel juggernaut, she’s kept her roots in smaller, character-driven projects.
Since her last Marvel outing as Wanda Maximoff in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, she’s only taken on independent films like His Three Daughters, The Assessment, and the upcoming A24 romantic comedy Eternity.
Only His Three Daughters found a streaming home (Netflix), but it still received a limited theatrical run, something Olsen sees as crucial for keeping the communal movie experience alive.
Of course, Olsen is no stranger to the kind of crowd-drawing magic that theaters can bring. She’s helped fill seats around the world as the Scarlet Witch since her Marvel debut in the post-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Talking about her time in the MCU, she said:
“Making the films are fun. Goofy. It’s ridiculous. We’re grown people like children on a playground. We’re flying. We’re shooting things out of our hands. And it’s a character that I’ve gotten to return to so many times after over 10 years. It’s good to put her down and then I miss her and I want her back. I’d jump at the opportunity to be in her shoes again.”
She also praised the massive collaboration that goes into making a Marvel movie.
“It’s the consistency of a community and a job, which is hard to find. The insane camera movement, stunt work and special effects, visual effects that are happening in real time.
“It’s a lot of coordination, it’s hundreds and hundreds of people on set, and it’s a powerful thing to be a part of all those people working towards one goal. The people doing the visual effects are artists… The soul, the spirit, the heart is fulfilled doing it. It does mean something. I care about the acting being great — everyone does.”
While she hasn’t officially returned to the MCU in person since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, she did lend her voice to the animated Disney+ series Marvel Zombies. For now, though, her focus is back on indie storytelling with Eternity, her new A24 film co-starring Miles Teller and Callum Turner.
The romantic fantasy is set in an afterlife where the recently deceased have one week to choose who they’ll spend eternity with. Olsen plays Joan, a woman torn between her first love and the man she built her life with.
Eternity opens in theaters this Thanksgiving.