For almost a decade, Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch was a mainstay in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After first being introduced in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Olsen went on to star in several other Marvel films and even her own TV show. In a recent interview with NPR’s Wild Card With Rachel Martin, Olsen said that she is still working to prove to the rest of Hollywood that she’s more than just Marvel.
“I think I haven’t always successfully made choices in my work that are aligned with my personal taste and that is something I feel like I’m still trying to prove when I meet people,” Olsen said, explaining that her work as Scarlet Witch has shaped how the public sees her. “Especially if it’s a work type meeting and be able to express my personal taste in films and literature, and so I still think I have that to prove.”
She added that, while she feels proud of working with Marvel, those movies aren’t necessarily what she’s personally interested in.
“Because I have spent so many years doing Marvel that I feel like all the other jobs I have to do have to really reflect my personal taste because as much as I love being a part of this world — and I’m proud of what I’ve been able to do with the character — it’s not really the art that I consume. Which I have been very honest about,” she said.
“I thought they were such great Greek-type scale stories that reflected politics, culture in a really lovely way,” she added, explaining why she joined in the first place. “And so I felt really proud to jump into it. And then, within the last 10 years, it’s taken on this narrative of like, it’s like a hot take, whether an actor says they want to, they would never do a Marvel movie or not.”
Olsen has been careful to star in other, smaller projects alongside her Marvel work. For millions of fans, though, she’ll always be Scarlet Witch first and foremost.