Why Elizabeth Olsen Doesn't Want To Star In Movies That Are Made For Streaming

While Marvel fans may know her primarily as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Elizabeth Olsen has found her niche in the indie movie scene — and she's making her most public overtures yet to help preserve the theatrical experience for every true-blooded film fan. In between her big-budget appearances in various "Avengers" movies and shows like "WandaVision," Olsen has quietly built up a highlight reel that includes hidden gems like "Ingrid Goes West," "Wind River," "His Three Daughters," and more. One commonality you'll notice among all of these titles is that they were each made for the big screen, as opposed to going straight to streaming. That, according to the actor, was entirely by design.

While promoting upcoming projects such as the high-concept rom-com "Eternity," Olsen sat down for a feature-length profile with InStyle and discussed why this is such a priority for her. As someone who fully understands the constraints of the business, particularly for low- and mid-budget fare, she begrudgingly admits that she'll compromise if it means an independent movie receiving any release at all. As she put it, "If a movie is made independently and only sells to a streamer, then fine. But I don't want to make something where that's the end-all." Yet, impressively, there's a larger and more important reason why she continues to champion the theatrical experience:

"I think it's important for people to gather as a community, to see other humans, be together in a space. That's why I like sports. I think it's really powerful for people to come together for something that they're excited about."

Few stars have better firsthand knowledge of seeing people come together to celebrate one massive event than Elizabeth Olsen does, having starred in Marvel Cinematic Universe juggernauts like "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Endgame," the Disney+ series "WandaVision," and even taking an antagonistic role in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (which supposedly killed her off but, as fans know, nothing's ever permanent in the MCU). Of course, Wanda Maximoff's enduring popularity among the fandom means questions about her character's future are never far from Olsen's ears ... but that doesn't mean she's tired of it, either. The queen of indie dramas and prestige shows isn't ruling out a return visit to the MCU, calling the process of making those franchise offerings both "joyful" and "goofy." As she explains:

"It's ridiculous. We're grown people behaving like children on a playground. We're flying. We're shooting things out of our hands. And it's a character that I've gotten to return to so many times over 10 years. It's good to put her down and then I miss her and I want her back. I'd jump at the opportunity to be in her shoes again."

She's quick to credit her big genre role as one of the biggest reasons why she's able to keep directing her energy where her heart truly lies. According to the actor, "It's financial security, I can make choices. It's offered me value, and that's useful when making independent movies." For now, that value will take the form of upcoming films such as "Eternity" and "Panic Carefully." Whether that involves more of Scarlet Witch or not, at least we know we can always catch Elizabeth Olsen right where she belongs: the big screen.