Enjoying Elizabeth Olsen in WandaVision? Thank Star Wars

Elizabeth Olsen rocketed to stardom following her supporting role in 2014’s Godzilla. Why? Well, from there it was on to 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. We know what happened after that. A slew of Avengers-related films later, Olsen is reprising her role as Wanda Maximoff in the MCU’s WandaVision series on Disney+. The younger sister of the infamous Olsen twins wasn’t always a household name, though. As it turns out, we have Star Wars to thank for the actress’s rise through the blockbuster ranks.

The Scarlet Witch actress recently spoke with Collider about her path to becoming a blockbuster star. Up until her role opposite Age of Ultron co-star Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Godzilla, Elizabeth Oslen spent most of her acting days in indie features. She had a yearning, however. That yearning blossomed into a full blown desire to appear in a blockbuster film like the ones she grew up with and adored. Of course we’re talking about Star Wars. Taking inspiration from the Lucasfilm franchise, Olsen’s self-initiative paid off.

Elizabeth Olsen draws blockbuster inspiration from Star Wars

“It was actually a funny decision I had put out in the world. I talked to my agent, my manager who are like my other mothers. I just love them so much. And I told them, ‘I want to be considered for the projects that I grew up …’ – like, as a kid, looking at Star Wars and I was obsessed with Star Wars. You couldn’t peel me away from Star Wars as a child. And so I was trying to figure out, how do I start putting that out there …. They said take meetings with the people who run these companies and so I literally did. I met with Kevin [Feige] and a couple other people that were working there at the time. And then I met with the people who were running Legendary at the time. And there were a few others in different places.”

That effort certainly paid off, especially with respect to the MCU. Right now, Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany (Wanda and Vision, respectively) are the only MCU stars still currently filling their roles on screen. That will change with the MCU’s Phase 4, certainly, but for now, they have the spotlight in WandaVision. For Olsen, however, the probability of starring in the Star Wars franchise that inspired her is at an all time high, too. We know Kevin Feige will produce a Star Wars film at some point. Plus, she’s already worked with Rogue One director Gareth Edwards (on Godzilla).

It’s a pity that we’ll likely never get to see Mara Jade in live-action Star Wars. But …. Could you imagine Elizabeth Olsen in the role? Thanks to Olsen’s ambition, anything seems possible for the young actress. To paraphrase good o’l Sheev Palpatine, we’ll continue to watch her career with great interest.

WandaVision currently airs Fridays on Disney+.

Source: Collider