Elizabeth Olsen may have risen to international stardom thanks to her portrayal of Wanda Maximoff in the MCU, but she’s made a name for herself in the industry long before that. As the younger sister of the famous Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, Elizabeth has been surrounded by cameras since she was four and the passion has never left her. In pursuit of an acting career, she attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts from which she successfully graduated in 2013. Not long after, she had already bagged several nominations for her poignant performance in Martha Marcy May Marlene.
Indeed, Olsen built a reputation in the world of independent cinema before being cast in it Avengers: Age of Ultron. Since then, she’s successfully bounced back and forth between major MCU productions and smaller, quieter pieces. Olsen is definitely an actor whose work deserves to be revisited and appreciated. Here are ten of her best performances.
Updated December 11, 2022: If you love Elizabeth Olsen, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article with new items.
10/10 I saw the light
The MCU isn’t the only time Olsen and Tom Hiddleston have joined forces to create something special. In the 2015 biographical drama I saw the light, they played side by side to portray the tragic and musical life of famed country music singer Hank Williams and his rocky marriage to Audrey Williams. While the film itself received a handful of criticism for the vocals, the performances deserve credit. Many praised Hiddleston for his acting, but it’s Olsen’s beautifully heartbreaking performance as Audrey that steals the show. Not only did she perfect her southern accent for this role, but she also showed extraordinary range in depicting the complexity that comes with feeling frustrated and helpless when dealing with an alcoholic who happens to be someone you love.
9/10 Kodachrome
Sometimes the best movies are the ones with the tightest budgets. Netflix financed and produced Kodachrome in such a way, and it got a lot of critical acclaim. Led by the talented cast of Jason Sudeikis, Ed Harris and, of course, Olsen, the film follows an ailing photographer, his son and his nurse as they travel to develop Kodachrome film at the last remaining store that handles it before it is closed. . Of course, the plot was criticized for being formulaic, but that doesn’t detract from the quality of this movie. It doesn’t dilute the chemistry between the three actors either. Kodachrome is a hidden gem on Netflix and a must-see for anyone looking for a good movie.
8/10 Liberal arts
As early as 2012, Olsen already showed her acting ability in the comedy-drama Liberal arts, which received mostly positive reviews from audiences and critics alike. Olsen plays the character of 19-year-old sophomore Zibby who falls in love with 35-year-old Jesse (director Josh Radnor). Although Olsen was already known as an up and coming actress, her ray of sunshine persona in this film sealed the deal. The Independent Critic wrote how Olsen took what could easily have been a stock character and turned her into a lively, warm, funny and intelligent human being. Her performance eventually earned her a nomination for the 2013 EE Bafta Rising Star Award.
7/10 Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness
Readers of this list will see a thread where Olsen plays emotionally damaged characters suffering from loss and grief. although Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness may not have been a favorite for Marvel fans, but Olsen’s performance was a standout. I’ve played a grieving Wanda Maximoff before WandaVision, Olsen returned as her popular character to raise the bar in Wanda’s journey. Here we see Wanda go from hero to villain as she relentlessly hunts down a teenage girl who can jump between dimensions to steal her powers and reunite with her children. While her character direction was questionable, fans couldn’t get enough of Olsen’s performance as Wanda is still very much haunted by the loss of her loved ones. Fans are now eagerly awaiting what the next chapter will be for the Scarlet Witch.
6/10 Kill your loved ones
In this film, Olsen is surrounded by incredible talent. Having previously starred opposite Tom Felton, Olsen worked with Harry Potter himself this time around. Kill your loved ones revolves around the famous Beat Generation and tells the story of the murder of David Kammerer. Olsen has a small part in this movie as Edie Parker, but her talent is still comparable even when surrounded by stars like Daniel Radcliffe, David DeHaan and Michael C. Hall. Even though there isn’t much of Olsen in this movie, it’s still highly recommended because the story is so amazing and shocking. Having Olsen is just a bonus.
5/10 Wind river
Olsen teamed up again with one of her MCU co-stars Jeremy Renner in the murder mystery Wind river. The plot focuses on the neglected social problem of the recurring disappearances and sexual abuse of Indigenous women. Cory Lambert (Renner) and Natalie Hanson (Olsen) come together as a Wildlife Service employee and FBI agent to solve a murder on the reservation. The two stars undoubtedly have inexplicable on-screen chemistry. As the film’s director, Sheridan, said, Olsen had a really tough role to play, someone who is simultaneously an innocent rookie cop and someone with surviving confidence (via Rush) – and she did a great job.
4/10 Ingrid goes west
With a high score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and a premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Waldo Salt Screening Award, the dark comedy-drama is Ingrid goes west was a great success. It follows the story of a mentally unstable woman Ingrid (Aubrey Plaza), who becomes obsessed with Instagram influencer Taylor Sloane (Olsen) and goes over the line to befriend her. Olsen did double duty for this and Wind river. She secretly stalked some celebrities on social media to fully understand and embody the role of an influencer as she had never been good at social media. It’s hard to believe she had little to no experience with this phenomenon when her character is so naturally convincing.
3/10 Sorry for your loss
Olsen has extensive experience portraying a character dealing with an unexpected loss and depicting the grief the human mind can cause in the popular Facebook Watch series Sorry for your loss. In this drama series with a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Olsen plays a widowed Leigh Shaw, who struggles to reorganize her life after losing her husband. Olsen gave good acting until the show was canceled after the second season. Her outstanding portrayal of grief earned her a nomination at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards for Best Actress in a Drama Series.
2/10 Martha Marcy May Marlene
This dramatic thriller revolves around Marlene Lewis (Olsen). After escaping a cult, Marlene develops a strong sense of paranoia and startling hallucinations as she struggles with everyday life. Martha Marcy May Marlene‘s plot was an exceptional idea because it explores the terrifying effects of cults, but as the critics’ consensus stated, Olsen is the real discovery. She brought a wide range of emotions to the film and it was also her first major role. Olsen instinctively knew how to connect the fragments of her character’s emotional state. Olsen is without a doubt flawless in everything she does, but this thriller was the grand launching point for everything to come in her remarkable career. The brilliant portrayal of PTSD earned her numerous awards, including Most Promising Performer at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards.
1/10 WandaVision
The MCU started 2021 strong with the release of WandaVision as the first miniseries on Disney+. This project can only be described as an utter masterpiece with a unique take on dealing with such a strong emotion as sadness. We already knew how exquisite the chemistry between Olsen and Paul Bettany was from the previous MCU movies where they appeared as a duo. Not only has the idea of connecting the idea of sitcoms amazed critics and audiences alike, but Olsen has also made sure that if you didn’t recognize her acting talent before, you will now. While watching, you can feel every ounce of Wanda’s pain she experiences after losing Vision every time we see her on screen. Olsen’s star performance deservedly earned the actor her first Emmy nomination.