Wanda Maximoff as played by Elizabeth Olsen in a scene from “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” (Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios/Associated Press)
Although the Scarlet Witch’s rage is lethal, Elizabeth Olsen said she just gets “a bit irritated” when people critique Marvel movies.
While no one should feel sorry for a studio that is raking in billions in box office receipts, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has attracted a slew of high-profile detractors in recent years, including directors Martin Scorsese, Denis Villeneuve, and Jane Campion, who have all essentially laid the death of cinema at its feet.
Olsen, who has acted in a slew of Marvel films since 2015, including the most recent “Doctor Strange” sequel, understands the criticism, but she also criticizes people who make superhero films “seem like a lower form of art.”
“I’m not claiming we’re doing independent art films,” she says in a recent interview with The Independent. “These are some of the most incredible set designers, costume designers, camera operators, and I believe that belittling them with that type of criticism takes away from all of the individuals that make award-winning films and work on these projects.”
“From an actor’s standpoint, whatever, I get it; I completely get that there’s a different sort of performance going on,” she went on. “However, I believe that putting Marvel under the bus detracts from the hundreds of really skilled staff members.” That’s when I start getting a bit feisty.”
Before moving on to big-budget, special-effects-heavy material, Olsen began her career with a succession of highly lauded independent films, including her big-screen debut in the 2011 thriller “Martha Marcy May Marlene.”
Her newest Marvel blockbuster, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” opened to an estimated $185 million in ticket sales this weekend, making it the highest opening weekend of any film in 2022.
When it comes to returning to her origins, Olsen has learned to keep her choices open and the naysayers at bay, saying she’s willing to participate in the Marvel sandbox again as long as “there’s a decent concept linked to it.”
“It continues to be a surprise when they want to utilize me for new projects,” Olsen stated, noting that she was originally only committed to perform in two movies and a cameo.
The actor’s next project, though, is in a very different genre.
Olsen will appear in “Love and Death,” a forthcoming HBO Max limited series written and executive produced by David E. Kelley about Texas housewife Candy Montgomery, who notoriously murdered her closest friend from church with an ax.
