Elizabeth Olsen Reveals Her Marvel Career Doesn’t Aligne With Her ‘Personal Taste’; Says ‘It’s Not Really the Art…’
Elizabeth Olsen, best known for her role as Wanda Maximoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, opened up about the disconnect between her work and her personal taste in films. Speaking on the Wild Card podcast, Olsen revealed that while she is proud of her contributions to the Marvel franchise, the superhero blockbusters aren’t the kind of art she typically consumes or feels most connected to.
“I think I haven’t always successfully made choices in my work that are aligned with my personal taste and that is something I feel like I’m still trying to prove when I meet people,” Olsen said. She explained that during professional meetings, she often feels the need to express her real preferences in film and literature, separate from her blockbuster career.
Olsen reflected on her decade-long journey with Marvel, admitting, “Because I have spent so many years doing Marvel, I feel like all the other jobs I have to do have to really reflect my personal taste. As much as I love being a part of this world — and I’m proud of what I’ve been able to do with the character — it’s not really the art that I consume. Which I have been very honest about.”
The actress initially signed onto the Marvel films because she saw them as grand, Greek-style epics that beautifully reflected politics and culture. However, she acknowledged that in recent years, Marvel projects have become a divisive topic in Hollywood. “Within the last 10 years, it’s taken on this narrative of, like, it’s a hot take whether an actor says they would never do a Marvel movie or not,” she noted.
Olsen first appeared in a cameo role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) before starring in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Her character took center stage in the Disney+ series WandaVision (2021) and again in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
Outside of the MCU, Olsen has built an impressive indie and drama filmography, starring in movies like The Assessment(2024), His Three Daughters (2023), Kodachrome (2018), Wind River (2017), Ingrid Goes West (2017), I Saw the Light(2015), and Godzilla (2014).
While Elizabeth Olsen continues to be celebrated for her work in the Marvel universe, she is determined to carve out a career that more closely mirrors her personal artistic tastes. With a growing portfolio of independent films and more intimate projects, Olsen is working to show audiences — and herself — the kind of storyteller she truly is.
