ELIZABETH OLSEN
Marvel's Mighty Actress In WandaVision
Elizabeth Olsen isn’t the first name people think of when it comes to female representation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She’s not like Scarlett Johansson, who has played Black Widow for ten years. Nor is she Brie Larson, who became the MCU’s first female lead as Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel.
But, as Scarlet Witch or Wanda Maximoff, Elizabeth Olsen is finally entering the spotlight with the upcoming Disney+ series WandaVision.
Those who follow the MCU closely might be confused. Vision (Paul Bettany) died in Avengers: Infinity War when the Mind Stone was shattered. As the trailer shows, reality has been distorted, and Wanda and Vision are stuck in a ’60s sitcom. But there is a lot at play. Kathryn Hahn and Kat Dennings also star, which makes for a stellar cast.
Before the MCU, Olsen spent most of her time starring in smaller indie films. Her breakout role was in Sean Durkin’s haunting film Martha Marcy May Marlene. Olsen’s performance is captivating, and it stays with you long after you watch it.
As the younger sister of famous twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, it might surprise people that Elizabeth is down-to-earth. She maintains her privacy and how to handle her career from her prominent family.
“It’s been helpful in helping me navigate how I want to approach my career,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “I didn’t know anything outside being famous, so it was never weird to me – that’s just what it was. It was always very clear that acting was a job; I never had this twinkly fantasy of people taking photographs of me. It was a job and work and there are different ways of drawing attention to yourself that you don’t want.”
Olsen hasn’t lost her indie touch to the mainstream franchise. She starred in the 2017 film Ingrid Goes West. Though the MCU will likely dominate her filmography for the next few years, PROVOKR is excited to see what opportunities this offers her.
