Elizabeth Olsen thinks of Marvel movies as “insurance” for her indie projects.
The 35-year-old actress - who has played Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, in a number of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films from 2015’s ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ until ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ in 2022 - appreciates the security the franchise offers because it allows her the "freedom" to tackle smaller, riskier films like her Netflix comedy/drama ‘His Three Daughters’.
Speaking at Vulture Festival, Olsen said: “I’d never really had the mentality of, ‘One for them, one for me.’
“Marvel has been such a consistent thing I’ve been able to return to and has created — what’s the word? — some feeling of insurance in my life that has given me freedom to choose other jobs. So I haven’t felt like, ‘And then I’ll do this to do this.’”
The ‘Love and Death’ star - who also led the cast of her own Disney+ spin-off ‘Wandavision’ - added reprising her role in the MCU “always felt like a choice”.
She explained: “Every time, it’s character-driven. It’s always like, ‘We have this idea, and that’s why we want you to come back.’ It’s not like, ‘Just throw her in something.’”
The ‘Ingrid Goes West’ star added she viewed blockbuster movie franchises like the MCU as vital for cinema, as they “paid the rent” for smaller theatres, thus allowing them to screen indie flicks.
Olsen agreed with Paul Thomas Anderson's assessment of big movies, who previously said ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ had played a crucial role in getting his rom-com ‘Licorice Pizza’ a theatrical release in 2021.
She said of the symbiotic bond between blockbuster movies and indie films: “I do think that’s the relationship.”
Olsen previously said she was “always happy to come back” to the MCU, provided there was a “good way” to use the Scarlet Witch.
Speaking to FM104, she said: “It’s a character that I love going back to when there’s a way to use her well, and I think I have been lucky that when I started I was used well.
“I think people didn’t know what to do with me for a second there ... if there’s a good way to use her I’m always happy to come back.”
