Elizabeth Olsen, the interpreter of the Scarlet Witch, defended the Marvel team and the MCU which, according to her, helps cinemas enormously.
Actress Elizabeth Olsen is now inseparable from her role as Scarlet Witch, which was the cornerstone of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But his career is not limited to this scarlet suit. Elizabeth Olsen also ventured into much less heroic territories: she played Thérèse Raquin in And Secret by Charlie Stratton, in Instalife by Matt Spicer, or in the Kodachrome the Zoey Barnes.
Although the Scarlet Witch is officially dead at the end of Doctor Strange 2 in 2022, his shadow still looms over the MCU. Although she said Marvel could be a danger to an actor’s career, the actress still confirmed that Wanda Maximoff will be back in the MCU, and that Scarlet Witch is expected to return with the X-Men according to her. Is it because she is planning her return to the MCU that the actress came to the defense of the Marvel team? Maybe, but not only that.
Marvel, savior of cinemas
In one article, Vulture reported some of the statements Elizabeth Olsen delivered during the Vulture Festival. When a journalist asked her if she participated in Marvel films so that she could, on the side, play in “passion films”, her answer couldn’t be clearer:
“I never really had a ‘one for them, one for me’ mentality. Marvel was such a big thing that I was able to go back to it and who created – what’s the word? – a sense of security in my life, which gave me the freedom to choose other jobs. So I didn’t feel like I had to do this to do that. »
Elizabeth Olsen continued her explanation by adding that, as an actress, it seems natural to her to expect that the films she stars in are widely released, not just on streaming, but also in theaters, and that they have success. And regarding theater attendance, she underlines the fact that Marvel films have a positive effect, since they bring a large audience to theaters, which allows “cinemas to pay their rent”.
As a result, the actress felt that the film industry needs both types of films, superheroic blockbusters and more intimate-independent projects. And for these more modest films to find their place in theaters, it is necessary, according to her, that the major spectacle films from the Marvel stable can also be broadcast there. Quoting director Paul Thomas Anderson, she added that it is a win-win relationship between these two parties.
In December 2021, during an interview given to IndiewirePaul Thomas Anderson had in fact declared “you know what will bring audiences back to movie theaters? Spider-Man. So let’s rejoice in that”. A point of view that he shares with Nicolas Cage, who also explained that there was no point in pitting MCU films against independent films:
“Why do they say that? I don’t understand the conflict. I do not agree with this perception or opinion […] I think the films I make, like Pig or Joe, are not in conflict, in any way, with the Marvel films. If you watch The Power of the Dog, if you take Spencer, or any Megan Ellison movie [la boss d’Annapurna Pictures, ndlr]I think there is still room for Paul Thomas Anderson.«
Even though the Ghost Rider agrees with the Scarlet Witch, there is probably nothing more to add. On the MCU side, the next steps in cinema are called Captain America : Brave New Worldwhich will be released in theaters on February 12, 2025 and Thunderbolts*, which will arrive on April 30, 2025.
