Elizabeth Olsen calls herself an “unemployed” actress – even after playing Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and her last role as Candy Montgomery in the HBO miniseries “Love & Death”.
“I don’t want to work for work,” she says Variety. “I don’t know how to do things halfway, so I have to like something a lot. And there are things that I love, and it’s hard to fundraise for them.
Olsen, 34, has several projects she wants to do with unnamed first-time narrative directors, but struggles to secure the funding that would allow them creative control. So, as she continues to navigate Hollywood lands during unsettled economic times and a potential writers’ strike, she says she’s enjoying this break after working three straight years with Marvel (including two filming and one year of promotion). “I don’t miss it,” she said.
However, she may or may not have given a sign that something might come with her in the future of the MCU. The “signal” comes after she was asked to “blink twice” if she had anything with the superhero franchise on her record. You can watch the video and judge for yourself.
In this video episode of the award-winning film Variety Awards Circuit Podcast (listen or watch above, or subscribe wherever you download podcasts), Emmy-nominated Elizabeth Olsen talks about her new role in HBO’s limited series “Love & Death.” She shares the urge she had to take on the deadly, feminine role of Candy Montgomery while sharing her experience in the industry in the wake of a possible writers’ strike.
Also in this episode, ‘Succession’ star Kieran Culkin, who plays the sarcastic Roman Roy on the hit HBO series, talks about the show’s surprising twists and turns this past season – and why he decided to compete in the Emmy category. for best dramatic actor. And finally, the awards circuit roundtable returns, talking about Jeff Shell’s recent firing at NBCUniversal, as well as this year’s competitive slate of television contenders hoping to land a coveted Emmy nomination.
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“Love & Death,” from creator and Emmy winner David E. Kelley (“Big Little Lies”), tells the true story of Texas housewife Candy Montgomery, following a chance collision on a volleyball court with fellow church choir member Allan (Plemons), orchestrates an affair between the two married adults. Unfortunately, the encounters (which took place in 1980) led to Candy being framed for the murder of Allan’s wife, Betty (played by Lily Rabe). The series also stars Patrick Fugit, Keir Gilchrist, Elizabeth Marvel, Tom Pelphrey, and Krysten Ritter.
Here are some of the highlights of the conversation with Olsen.
The scene that depicts the first time Candy and Allan sleep together highlights the importance of on-set intimacy coordinators, which has become a strangely debated topic. What do you think of their roles on set?
I didn’t have them when I started, and I was definitely in some crazy scenes when I started. I actually thought it helped tell the story, not because someone had ever made me do something I wasn’t okay with. I was a dancer, so I consider any intimate scene as choreography. The most important thing for Intimacy Coordinators is to support [everyone], not just the main characters of the production. I think that’s important for extras and daytime players, because you’re not comfortable in that environment already. You are trying to make others happy.
With this project, we see this woman choosing to be liberated and free in her sex life, and then we find her in the most vulnerable moments later in the series. There’s even a story about how much of her body you reveal on this show and when. I enjoyed seeing his physical body in its most vulnerable moments, which has nothing to do with sex. So that’s the creative conversation with the director.
I think it’s the best performance of your career. Did you ever think you’d reach that point in your career where you could deliver a job as hard as this? Which characters pique your interest?
I want to work with directors who have strong points of view on how they tell stories. Whether sonically or visually – people who have had the opportunity to make narrative feature films or not. It is a difficult time to launch projects due to the state of the industry. But I feel that we will have an interesting life in cinema again. We already see it. I just saw “Beau a Peur” in the cinema, and I have the impression that we see projects like that made in Europe but not in the United States. I felt pretty tuned in.
Which directors do you dream of working with?
I have loved Ruben Östlund’s films for a long time. I love Yorgos Lanthimos films; Ari Aster makes great movies. I would like to work with [Quentin] Tarantino before his retirement.
What is your opinion on the possible writers’ strike in Hollywood, and what do studios need to change so that people from all disciplines in this industry can be paid fairly?
We need to structurally reimagine how people of all skill levels can continue to earn a living now that we have these streaming services. Actors who could once live on residue and who can no longer because they are paid for a day. And it’s on a streaming service, and they don’t see a dime afterwards.
We have to understand this. There’s this deal (new media) that we were all part of. And Netflix, which has tons of money, overtime wasn’t the same, which was weird. I had this experience working with Facebook. I was like, “Hey, that’s not how TV works. I’ve already done it. You’re supposed to pay me after hours.
I have cast members who are #32 on the call sheet explaining that they can’t live in the Austin outer ring because that’s where we filmed. So a lot of our cast were local hires, and it was interesting to know how expensive this city is. Thanks to them, I understood that there are still crazy contracts where they do not get any residue because of this new media contract.
Everything is now a new medium. We have to understand it because it’s not like we’re going to go back. We will continue to stream, and the fact that streaming becomes ad-based makes no difference to the way people work on film and TV. Hopefully this will start a trend to protect people so they can continue earning their living as before.
Do you miss Marvel and should we expect you in ‘Agatha All Along?’
I think I answered a question incorrectly. Someone asked me if I was going to “come back”, and they said, for example, “are we going to see you in ‘that thing'”. And I said, “Well, I hope I come back.”
I’m not “going back” to anything yet. I don’t do anything for Marvel. Nothing, and it’s not that I’m trying to be cheeky. They’ll let me know when they let me know.
And do I miss it? I don’t miss it. I just did two years in a row. I think the break was good for me. I need to create other characters. Its important to me. I’m grateful for this show [“Love & Death”] because it happened at a good time – after playing Wanda for two years in a row, then I had to talk about it for another year. So it’s nice to have something else to focus on and showcase.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, produced by Michael Schneider, is your one-stop-shop for lively conversations about the best in film and TV. Each week, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives; discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines; and much more. Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you download podcasts. New episodes released every week.