Elizabeth Olsen Explains Why She’s Never Felt Like ‘An Ingenue’ – The Surprising Truth

Being born into Hollywood royalty might seem like a golden ticket, but for Elizabeth Olsen—the younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen—the path to forging her own identity was anything but straightforward. At one point, she even considered changing her name to distance herself from the towering fame of her twin siblings. Instead, Olsen leaned into what made her different, building a career defined not by ease, but by embracing discomfort.

Olsen first made waves in the indie drama world with her haunting performance as a damaged cult survivor in Martha Marcy May Marlene. But true mainstream fame came in 2016, when she debuted as Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since then, she has deftly balanced blockbuster spectacle and independent artistry, carving out a unique space few actresses of her generation can claim.

Speaking with IndieWire in 2023, Olsen offered a strikingly candid assessment of her career choices. “I just don’t know how to be an ingenue,” she said. “I’ve never known how. I don’t know how to be comfortable in my skin knowing that’s the purpose I’m serving, but I think most women who are ingenues maybe don’t think of themselves as such.”

The term “ingenue” typically describes a naive, innocent young woman, a staple in literature and classic cinema portrayed by the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Judy Garland. But Olsen never felt drawn to that mold—or, as she puts it, never naturally fit into it. “I couldn’t play like the high school girlfriend or whatever,” she explained. “It just doesn’t fit with my personality. It’s not about making the choice, it’s just about what I actually put off in the world and therefore I just don’t get those jobs.”

Instead, Olsen seems drawn to morally complex characters—those who dwell in the gray spaces between hero and villain. When asked if she’s in her “antihero era” (a nod to Taylor Swift’s self-awareness anthem), Olsen replied, “I feel like I’ll forever be in that. I don’t know if I ever want to play the hero.” It’s a fitting reflection for an actress whose most iconic role, Wanda Maximoff, is a character who began as a villain, became an Avenger, and eventually blurred the lines again in the mind-bending WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Olsen’s transition from small, intimate films to massive studio productions wasn’t seamless either. She recalled feeling painfully self-conscious working among large crowds of background actors during big-budget shoots like 2014’s Godzilla. “They made me feel exposed, like a liar or something,” she admitted. “It makes you feel a little stupid sometimes.” But the experience forced her to adapt, learning to stay grounded and authentic even when surrounded by hundreds of strangers in a make-believe world.

Today, at just 35 years old, Elizabeth Olsen stands as a testament to the power of self-awareness and the courage to reject industry expectations. Her latest project, His Three Daughters, which she also executive produced, is already stirring Oscar buzz. The film, co-starring Carrie Coon and Natasha Lyonne, explores the strained reunion of three sisters as they grapple with their father’s impending death—a return to the type of emotionally raw storytelling that first launched her career.

Whether embodying flawed superheroes, broken daughters, or characters caught between light and darkness, Olsen continues to thrive by confronting the very things that make her uncomfortable. And in doing so, she’s not just building a career—she’s forging a legacy on her own terms.