Elizabeth Olsen

Elizabeth Olsen portrayed Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which she also portrayed her Earth-838 counterpart.

She also voiced Wanda-Merlin in What If...? episodes "What If... Captain Carter Fought the HYDRA Stomper?" and "What If... The Avengers Assembled in 1602?".

Significant Roles[]

Sarah in Silent House (2011)
Martha in Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
Zoe in Peace, Love and Misunderstanding (2012)
Sally Owen in Red Lights (2012)
Zibby in Liberal Arts (2012)
Gerry in Very Good Girls (2013)
Edie Parker in Kill Your Darlings (2013)
Marie in Oldboy (2013)
Therese Raquin in Therese (2014)
Elle Brody in Godzilla (2014)
Taylor Sloane in Ingrid Goes West (2017)
Jane Banner in Wind River (2017)
Leigh Shaw in Sorry for Your Loss (2018)

Quotes[]

"I've been rumored about a lot of things."
"I grew up loving comic books and sci-fi. I think that everyone’s first love for movies were those kinds of entertainment as kids. I think those movies are great. I would love to do something like that."
"I never read [her appearances]. I just know comic books from my brother. No, that's not a character I'm fully aware of [ Scarlet Witch ] until, you know, the internet."
"I would do anything with him [[[Robert Downey Jr.]]]! If he was part of a project and I could be in any scene with him, I would do it hands down."
"He's so talented. And so smart. You just don't have that kind of humor unless you're smart. I'm always having a Downey moment."
"Samuel Jackson can say what he likes."
"[ Aaron Taylor-Johnson ] We get to play husband and wife, and we get to play twin brother and sister."
"It's also fun because even though in 'Godzilla' we play husband and wife, we don't have a lot of scenes together. I just love him. I love his family. I love his kids. I'm so excited... to actually work with each other. I think it's going to be fun."
"No, I just know about it [Scarlet Witch costume]. It's been talked about, and it's so fun."
"[[[Joss Whedon]]] He's very smart. He's too smart. He might be too smart. Some people are too smart for their own good, but he's amazing."
"I don't know if we'll work together [Samuel L. Jackson], but we'll be doing Avengers together. I don't know if we'll be doing any scenes together though."
"Yes, I've become like such a nerd about it. I'm having so much fun right now. It's really really fun to read those comics and it's really exciting. The majority of this stuff isn't relevant to what we'll be doing, but I'm loving it and it's a lot of fun."
"[Costume] No. I just know about it, but it's not probably what people would expect."
"I've been doing homework and reading comic books as my homework right now."
"I'm feeling really excited about Scarlet Witch because she's really complicated. It's really fun stuff. I'm kind of tired of playing myself right now, like, versions of myself. Doing something like [Scarlet Witch] sounds cool."
"I know what the costume is going to be more or less like. I'm just excited that she's never been portrayed in film or on television before."
"The same way, I think! I actually feel really good that I just did a play because it requires so much imagination, you know? To acknowledge the fact that all these people are here, but you’re making up this room that your in that you’re not in, or whatever…"
"So far I’m just doing a lot of reading right now on Scarlet Witch and it’s really exciting. But the imagination, like to a child, and like running around in a play yard is what it feels like right now. And that sounds like so much fun, but you still want to approach it with the same kind of like ‘No, this is where she’s from,’ and it’s real. And that’s what’s fun about it. Let them put on the costume or do the special whatever-they-need-to-do to make it look special, but I’ll just do my part – it just has more extreme things to it. [Laughs] I’m like really excited about Scarlet Witch."
"The most recent thing I learned – I don’t even know if it has anything [to do with the film], it’s just fun to read these comics – it’s just so fun! Like, she’s a ‘nexus,’ like she’s the only human being from this universe who can communicate with paranormal things and the past and future and other universes; like to me that's pretty incredible! [Laughs] Like just thinking about that is amazing! To touch things and know where they've been, that's crazy!"
"Yeah. And it's a cool ensemble [Avengers cast]. When there's a great ensemble already in place, you're just like, That sounds awesome -- because I want to work with all of those people. That's amazing. And it's all of these people that I respect. Clearly I did this for a reason and it turned out well for a reason. And it's kind of like "Godzilla," too, though I didn't really get to work with the big ensemble."
"She's never been created in a human form yet. There's never been a television show..."
"No. And her life is insane. And for obvious reasons you can't talk about certain background [[[Erik Lehnsherr|Magneto]]'s connection], but it is so much fun. And it's so funny, everyone always talks to me about, "Do you really love having all of these psychological problems and things like that?" And I'm like, "I don't mean for that to happen." And with Scarlet Witch, I'm like she's complicated, that one! You know? Like, She might be the most damaged of them all! Which is so cool."
"I hung out with Mr. Whedon recently."
"I'm really excited about this movie. I'm so excited about Scarlet Witch. I have had so much fun reading all 'about her and I am like learning new words that I had to look up on Wikipedia. I'm really enjoying it."
"I just love Scarlet Witch. I love her. It's so funny because I'm often talking about all these psychologically damaged people, but when you talk about Scarlet Witch... She is a messed up lady. She has got more sh*t to deal with than anybody else I know. I'm excited to figure out what's appropriate to use for her, because there's so much material from all of these decades, and we're going to tell this one story. So to be able to choose what you're going to bring into it from all of this abundance, it's really fun."
"I don’t really know. I’m still kind of shocked by it. My brother’s a big comic book guy, I subsequently love those types of stories. I love sci-fi, I was raised as the biggest fan of “Star Wars.” And so those movies are fun to make. I’m obsessed with the “Iron Man” movies. And I met Joss [Whedon], I had no idea why and yeah! And it ends up being like the coolest [thing], I’m having so much fun just reading right now. It’s really awesome."
"Yeah, I’m so excited. We [Taylor-Johnson] worked with each other a little bit but mainly we were just living in Canada at the same time [during filming Godzilla]. And I got close with his family, and they’re just very welcoming warm people, so I’m excited to be on their side of the world, working in London with Avengers because I feel like I have a little bit of family there already."
"No, I think that’s so fun [Avengers majority-male cast]. Oldboy was all that too. There were like three women: me, a dresser, and a makeup lady. And the rest was just like a bunch of guys, and as long as you join in on the mean jokes — because all the guys just bust each others’ balls all the time — you’re good to go."
"[Joss Whedon's envisionment for women in film] He totally does, doesn’t he? So I feel like I’ll be in good hands. Basically, he has a vision that’s his own that’s inspired by the comics and ultimately we get too create it together. That’s what was exciting for me."
"I’m a big comic kid… I grew up on Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. I spent time with the Marvel guys talking about how I love these kinds of movies and I think they seem super creative and super exciting, and Joss and I met and we figured it out."
"I'm very excited! We're doing prep work now. It's a lot of fun and I think it's going to be really exciting for the fans because it's going to be something they are not expecting. That's why I'm excited."
"We’ve done some costume stuff, yeah! My favorite piece is my secrecy cloak that prevents anyone from seeing what I’m wearing. There’s a hood, and a robe – it protects the image! I don’t think Joss ever would have hired me, honestly, if he wanted me to wear those outfits; I am not a professional athlete and nor am I a model. Wearing those costumes wouldn’t be fun for anyone who wasn’t those things. He already had a different idea. It respects and involves the comic-book character but it’s different, more rooted. It’s for someone today. Well, if someone walked around wearing what she wore in the comics, people would stop and say, ‘What the hell… she thinks she’s a superhero!’"
"Any time they give us a call sheet or any time there’s a new draft, they have to shred our old papers! I don’t think I’m allowed to say anything! And I’m too terrified. I really just feel like I’m doing something that’s top secret and somehow has a lot more importance than anything else I’ve been around, so that alone is hilarious. I want to take a photo and send to my friends, not that I want to tweet or Instagram it, just for personal reasons—and I feel like I’m going to get in trouble if I take a photo on set!"
"The people at Legendary Pictures are really good at keeping things under wraps. Avengers already has so much attention—all the Marvel films do—so filming something like Godzilla was basically a cast of actors who are all really well-respected, but they’re just under the radar. We didn’t have anything like this for Godzilla, you’re just focused on making the movie. There wasn’t any other media part of it. It was an awesome first experience on one of these big movies because it’s been a really simple transition; there’s nothing too grandiose about it in my mind except for the fact that we had a very large crew and a lot of extras."
"It’s definitely different when I’m doing Avengers now. It takes, like, eleven setups to do one-eighth of a page; you spend a whole day doing what might be a seven-second sequence."
"I love them both [theater and cinema]. With one, you have the advantage of editing, which sometimes can be a disadvantage for actors, actually. There’s something about picking the frame and the speed of how you shoot it, that all those things will help you. And then on stage, you play everything that leads up to the moment—you have a momentum—whereas on set, you wait around for an hour and a half and they call you to do something epic. And you’re like, okay, wake up, you’ve been sitting for an hour and a half... It’s stimulating. It’s being alive. It’s breaking up the mundane."
"I don’t approach things like ‘I am the character’, I don’t think that would be healthy for me. I do think, doing things like The Avengers, I’ve noticed I’ve felt really confident recently. And I think it’s because I get to be very confident physically all day. I get to be a kind of grounded badass. And if that’s rubbing off on me, then that’s fun. But then when you’re playing someone who is weak, then you kind of walk around feeling weak without even realizing it. Anyone can bring that into their lives. It’s in our control to be positive or to be powerful or confident, even though people don’t think it is."
"It’s awesome! You know, we only did a few scenes together for Godzilla, but we spent time together in Vancouver, and I got to know his family, and we spent time together. And to play really tight twin brother and sister, it’s really lucky it’s not with some guy I jut met or something. I think we both like the fact that we have this other film in our repertoire.
"The other movie is such a different world. It’s so crazy. The main difference is that in Godzilla you’re reacting to something that isn’t there, and in something like Avengers, you’re approaching and almost interacting with something that’s not there. [Pauses then laughs]. And so that’s what the main difference is for me, right now."
"What am I doing in the clip? Whatever it looks like [Laughs]. I don’t know if I’m allowed to say ANYthing! I’m so terrified about everything Marvel!"
"We have a much more closer connection in Avengers actually, because we play these twin brother and sister that never leave each other’s side. In Godzilla, the whole point is that we are apart. So it’s totally different, but nice to have known him and his family, and him as a person as well as an actor before doing that. It was like, lets try and make these characters so different. And it was cool to be playing Eastern European as well. So we are trying to embrace that."
"The coolest thing about Scarlet Witch is, because you've never seen her, we got to create how she moves. Joss was really inspired by dancers, and so he knew that he wanted to change visually how she moves, to be more like a dancer than a fighter. I didn't really have to do much stunt training. Instead I trained with a dancer, Jenny White, which was its own kid of soreness, but it wasn't what I thought it would be."
Age of Ultron is almost our origin story, so we don't have one of those montages where heroes learn all of their powers in five minutes. We are still discovering the things we can and cannot do. The extent of her powers isn't fully explored in Ultron. But she can manipulate objects. And she has visions, and she has the ability to share them. She's not a mutant!"
"Obviously there are plenty of countries in the world that hate America, for whatever history and pain they believe it has caused their own country and their own lives. That is the world we have created for Wanda and Pietro, to have been brought up in. What you're told a lot of times growing up is that that, country, those people, their way of living is the reason why we have been bombed. They are the worst evil in Wanda and Pietro's mind, not this guy who hasn't done anything yet."
"I do get to be a part of strong turning points in the story. If you’re in a group of a lot of men, it’s really easy to make the guys be the turning points. I actually get to charge things, which is nice."
"I have no idea what's in store. Like, not a clue. But I like the character so much. I can't wait to steal stories from the comics. I think it'd be really fun."
"I'm just still thrilled just to be part of this whole group and world. It's a franchise that I've been watching since the first Iron Man. Marvel makes such great films with such a balance of depth and humor and action and that's a given, but they're all humans that have weaknesses and strengths. It's actually, in this film I think, there's a special highlight on personal worlds and what makes them human. So I think that's what makes this film so great and it's just amazing to be a part of this cast; it's mind-boggling."
"I think it's going to be the best one. For real, I am like very excited to see it myself. I only worked on set for five weeks, so I wasn't there for the majority of it."
"Brühl is an incredible actor and he's playing the main villain in it. And he's incredible! It's a movie about people as opposed to robots this time. So it's darker and it's allowed to be darker because it gets more in the mindset of humans rather than machines."
"She's someone who's more powerful than she's able to control and she ends up going insane because of it. And she's like a wildcard. You never know if she's a hero or a villain and that's a very fun part."
"Being part of a Marvel movie makes me feel like I'm doing the most top secret thing in the world. It's ridiculous because it's a film, but also it's too bad when people want to spoil things about movies or paparazzi are on set taking pictures of certain things. And everyone then gets to guess what it is that you're filming. And it ruins it for everyone. I was just so happen that in Avengers we were able to keep a lot of things secret so there were surprises for the audience which is great."
"She’s OK. She’s doing alright. She’s confused, she’s conflicted. She’s found some people she thinks she connects with, but she’s doing alright. They released images of Team Cap and Team Iron Man. She wasn’t there. She’s always the wild card. I like being the wild card."
"It’s not a new hand technique per say. We’re trying to grow her movement as a whole… Jenny [coach Jennifer White] and I have great pride in trying to make this a huge transformation — the next time we see her — of her abilities."
"I think Scarlet Witch would win against him — she's one of the most powerful people in the universe. I’m betting on Scarlet Witch."
"I was only there for five weeks of it, but we were all super stoked about it… Even though the Ultron robots are so intensely human because of its mind, we’re actually dealing with humans this time through and through. There’s nothing scarier than something that’s like you being dangerous, so I think it’s darker and it’s fun. It’s really fun—it was so hard to shoot, but I think it’s gonna be a really interesting film."
"I’m excited to see how they’re gonna end it. I wanna see what the ending shots look like because I wanna know what the ellipses is at the end of the film."
"Those are things I would like to know too. Those are things I have a group of people with me right now that would like to know too."
"The good thing about Marvel is they have so many other things going on that they have to plan their year so specifically. I already know my block of time for them for the next year, and I have a lot of time until then, so I’m in a position right now where I’m trying to find another film like I Saw The Light."
"I'm not sure, honestly. I love my character, I just don't know how that would fit in the whole Marvel universe or if it would even be necessary. The pressure of a tentpole movie on my shoulders doesn't feel comfortable."
"It’s so crazy and mind-blowing being part of something that has that wide audience internationally. I am loving every time I get to go back to playing Scarlet Witch, and it is really nice to have the balance of doing something character driven and dramatic. It’s very technical, these Marvel movies."
"I have a movement coach for the way she throws her hexes so I’m very protective over that. It’s something that was created out of whatever uniquely that we made up for the first film. Now we have this huge attachment to it and we don’t want to see it messed up. It’s not like there’s stunt rehearsal for it — she and I go create it and then people say yes or no. We have a trajectory plan of how we want it to evolve and change. That creative physical power is really cool."
"When you get the pages that you’re filming that day, you’re not allowed to take those home with you. They account for everyone at the end of the day and then they shred it. I took this one photograph, it was actually on Cap. Barry, who’s our security guy and is amazing, he can detect a paparazzi from like a 15-mile radius. He’s incredible. Obviously he can’t lock down public streets and bridges and things like that, but he locks down everything he can. I have this photo of Jenny my movement coach and I posing for a photo on my phone, and then in the background we asked Barry to try and interrupt us and scream at us. They have a zero tolerance policy for releasing photos on a set. It’s pretty serious — you feel like you’re doing something for the government and you’re making a movie."
"Wanda coming into her own and starting to understand and have conflict with how she wants to use her abilities. It’s a dramatic conflict within her and obviously there’s conflict within the team as well. I like that they didn’t release Scarlet Witch in the promo photos for the teams — it places her as being a wild card, and I like her having that kind of edge that people don’t know what she’s capable of. They can fear her because she is so incredibly powerful in a different way than the rest of the heroes for the most part. I like playing that role within the gang."
"[when asked about a standalone movie with Vision] It has to be House of M. That’s still all I want to do, I don’t care. I would just love to have make-believe children and have him play along with it and then just decide to destroy all mutants. That would be so fun but obviously that would never happen."
"It's movie magic! You step on set, and you get to work with the best of the best. These people go and they end up working on something smaller in between a lot of times. You get to work with the best DPs, you get to work with the best camera operators. You get to work with the best stunt people. You get to work with the best costume designers. It's just cool because you're around so much talent. It's also a whole other learning experience of how to perform in those kinds of films, because it is different. Many people say that it's the same preparation, it's the same character development, it's the same that kind of work, but on set, it's just different. It's just larger, it's not intimate, it's just different. To watch Downey and Hemsworth and Scarlett, Evans and Ruffalo and watch how they deal with that and kind of absorb that information, I feel I get a little master class everyday."
"She's figuring out her place and finding a family. And she does have a few changes of points of view in this film."
"I think there’s something unique in the fact that her powers come from the same thing that powers him, and that is how we’ve made them have that kind of… that specifically in common, as opposed to it being something else that the comics kind of created, which has been pure romance. But they do have something uniquely special because of that."
"We find Scarlet Witch without a home, without a family, and she ends up creating a surrogate family within the Avengers and making a decision to be a part of the team. I think a lot of that has to do with Jeremy’s character – like his attitude towards her and the speech he gives her at the end of the film. So we pick up with her having started a new life, but still trying to figure out what her abilities are and if using them causes greater good or greater damage."
"You learn a little bit more about what connects Scarlet and Vision in this film. And I think there's some really sweet moments between Paul and I, and it's more about how they relate to one another and their similarities just based on their superpowers."
"About the same meeting Joss Whedon even mentioned who we were meeting about, he said, ‘There’s this character Scarlet Witch that I’m interested in for you to play,’ and then he said, ‘When you go home and Google her, just know you will never ever have to wear what she wears in the comics.' Because I did ballet growing up, but that’s not a confident look."
"I actually do finger exercises, because I try and figure out how to isolate fingers, and I’m not very good with my left hand so we always try and feature the right. I love a twitch, I always think that’s creepy."
"It’s not something I’m opposed to [a standalone Scarlet movie], but it’s also something that has to make a lot of sense. I wouldn’t just do it just to do it. It’d have to make sense for how it advances in the world. But I’d be open to talking about it. I’d never say no to just an idea."

Trivia[]

Olsen read for Sharon Carter prior to being cast as Scarlet Witch.
Olsen is dating fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe actor Tom Hiddleston.

External links[]

Elizabeth Olsen on Wikipedia