- Congrats on 'WandaVision,' Lizzie.
This is a bananas amazing show.
Talk to me a little bit about
when this was first presented to you.
Did you think, "This is the best idea ever,"
or "What are you guys smoking?"
What was your reaction?
- I loved the idea.
I think the thing that scared me
was these characters on television.
- So, prior to this, what were the goals,
aspirations, dreams for you?
Just as someone that had a lot
of proprietary interest in this character.
You'd gotten to play her in a bunch of films
but never kind of like front and center.
Were you hoping for a film featuring you and Vision,
or you, or where was your head at?
Were you just satisfied where you were or what?
- I was really OK with taking up
my little corner in ensemble films,
and it didn't really feel like
there was a shift coming.
It really felt like 'Infinity War'
was a big moment and then 'Endgame,'
I had a big fighting moment
and then I was just kind of like,
just felt very comfortable. [Laughs]
And so, I think I was scared
to have that kind of moment with the MCU.
I found it really intimidating.
You put pressure on yourself and it's intimidating
when you know that Marvel has more eyes on their projects
than other projects you do will have.
And so, it feels very defining.
And so, I think it kind of freaked me out a bit
but then I loved the concept,
and I truly can't think of another job
where I had this much fun, and it was really hard.
But the hard parts have gone away and just joy has stayed.
- No, but I get what you're saying,
'cause it's like, before, you can enjoy
kind of like your moments and then be like,
"Oh, it's on Evans, it's on Downey.
If this fails, it's not, I mean, guys, I did my..."
[Laughs]
- "I'm just kind of here for the ride." [Laughs]
- So, let's go all the way back.
What do you remember about the first time-
I assume there was, was there an actual audition to play - ?
There wasn't an audition? - No.
It was tea with Joss [Whedon].
- Amazing.
So, you had already shot 'Godzilla' by then, you say, yes?
So, for those that aren't well versed
in the oeuvre of Lizzie Olsen,
you go back prior to 'Godzilla' and it's Sundance film
after Sundance film, these cool indies.
Then you dip your toe in with a big one, with 'Godzilla,'
and then you go all out with these films.
I mean, where was your head at then?
Because seemingly you were getting great roles
in these smaller films that were getting
a lot of critical attention, but were you wary,
excited, trepidatious about getting into
these kinds of ginormous franchise movies at the time?
- I think I wanted to really badly.
I think I was getting, a lot of the parts
that were being offered to me
were just women-in-distress independent films.
And I was seeing things get cast
and I was thinking, "Now why wasn't I thought of for that?"
And my agent or manager, I can't remember who, said,
"Well, it's because you're not putting yourself out there
for someone who wants to be doing things like that."
And so, I took general meetings.
Kevin [Feige] was one of them and Legendary,
the people who used to run Legendary, were another.
And so it kind of, you just put it out there
and it worked out that way.
And so, I wanted it and then I was kind of frustrated
'cause it wouldn't allow me time-wise to do other things
but then I just had to carve out
where I could along the way to plan for other projects.
- It's almost like a full-circle moment where you're at now,
in that, this is as indie and subversive a Marvel-
This is like your indie roots kind of combined, right?
- That's how I feel.
I feel like we're doing this really original concept
but with superheroes and yeah, it does feel indie.
Certainly the speed of filming certainly felt indie.
We were racing through this show.
It felt like it was never gonna end.
- Yeah, well the first episode you shoot in two days.
I mean, you took like three years
to shoot 'The Avengers' movies.
There's something to be learned here, guys.
- And I actually kind of thought
the live audience of it, with the '50s episode,
I kind of thought, this is our first time
swinging at this sitcom thing,
and if it's not very good, we'll do pickups
and we'll just trust [director] Matt [Shakman],
we'll do pickups and we hardly did any pickups.
And so, you're just kinda like,
"Well I guess that's what we're doing."
And it was so fun.
And then you felt more ownership moving forward
with this sitcom space.
- So, you mentioned the sitcom stuff,
and people that have seen the first couple episodes
by the time you've watched this or have seen the trailers -
Yes, the first few episodes are inspired
by different iconic sitcoms.
You obviously have an unusual perspective
on this kind of a thing.
You've probably visited set, I assume.
- All the time.
Did you enjoy sitcoms the way the rest of us did
or did you, you knew how the sausage was made,
was it a different kind of experience for you?
- But I didn't, they wrapped 'Full House' when I was six.
My early memories of the set was just-
I remember Fridays, they had an audience
and I remember where people's dressing rooms were.
And I remember the craft service table.
And I remember selling Girl Scout cookies to the set,
and that's really all I have,
but I also watched so much 'Full House,'
'cause we had them on VHS
and we had one of those minivans
that had a TV in it eventually,
that had a little sliding fake wood door in front of it.
And I would just watch 'Full House' all the time.
- Amazing.
- I loved that show and I did love sitcoms.
I loved 'The Torkelsons'
and 'Step By Step' and 'Family Matters,'
and then I love the old ones from watching Nick at Nite.
- I love that you guys got the opportunity,
at least in the few episodes I've seen,
to recreate some kind of your own versions of intros,
there's some amazing theme songs.
What's the greatest sitcom theme song of all time?
What's the one? - 'Laverne & Shirley.'
- Oh, that's a good one.
The whole sequence is amazing.
[Singing]
- It's so good.
- It's perfection.
You've got some new costumes in this series.
You've gone through- - And so many wigs.
- That's why you got into this business, all the wigs.
Your wig work is impeccable.
So, what's your relationship
with the various costumes of Wanda over the years?
Do you have favorites, least favorites?
Do you have grudging respect for your costumes
or hatred or what?
- The whole thing with the pregnant suit was so, so silly
and it was quite a lot of adjusting all the time.
So people just saw my legs with Spanx
because you need something to not create chafing
with this pregnant belly.
And so, I just was always lifting up my stuff on set
with this big pregnant belly, and I thought those costumes
in the '70s were just so fun.
And like you were saying,
the opening song and montages, the '70s montage
was the last sitcom stuff we got to do
and I had so much fun doing it.
I loved being on that bicycle with Paul.
- [Laughs] Your happy place?
- Yeah, it really was.
There was so much mugging.
The camera was in front of us,
and he was in front of me,
so every time I'd always just be leaning
so the camera can see me.
- I don't know what it says about you two,
that you clearly both are born
for this kind of broad comedy.
You play it up and it doesn't feel like
this is not in your wheelhouse.
This is like, you were meant to do this.
- It's like our inner child
who just needed so much attention.
It's like that version of ourselves just screaming.
- So, we kind of referenced this earlier,
but the sum total of these, was it nine episodes?
That is infinitesimally more character arc
and really digging for you as an actor
than you got to do in whatever the six or seven films
you've already been in.
Does it feel like you kind of rediscovered
this character in this series?
- There is like an incredible amount
of combination of not recap, but reinvestment
and growth that comes from this show with Wanda.
And I think I love her more now than I ever have.
I loved developing her in 'Ultron,'
I loved the anger that she entered with
and the rebellion that she entered the franchise with.
And now, I'm just in love with this mama bear
kind of woman who's now taken accountability
and has become a woman.
- So, I assume you remember
that we shot a sketch a few years back.
You, me and Aubrey [Plaza], right?
In the sketch, and this is something I wrote -
I'll take credit for this.
It's before 'Infinity War' came out.
You basically ruined the end of 'Infinity War.'
You say everybody dies at the end of 'Infinity War.'
So, this has since become kind of a meme.
I get this thrown at me like,
"Wait, Lizzie Olsen ruined 'Infinity War' like,
a year before 'Infinity War' came out."
- Well, we didn't all die.
Half of us disappear.
- OK I guess that's accurate.
But I guess my question is,
do you remember at the time
when you read that and said that?
'Cause you must've known at the time when we shot that.
- I do remember that
and I thought that that's what was going on the internet.
That people were like, "Are they all gonna,
everyone's gonna die, or something."
And so I was like, "Everyone dies!"
Just thinking that I was being clever,
not thinking that yes, I disappear and turn to dust.
Also, people who turned to dust
didn't turn to dust when we filmed it.
- Right, they just sort of froze, or what, what happened?
- No, I thought they were still there.
They decided later to turn them into dust.
- So, I don't understand what happened on set?
I think they dissolved them
just because they had a shot on them,
but I don't think, not everyone
was supposed to dissolve who dissolved.
So, I watched it, I was like,
"Oh no, I thought they lasted."
I didn't, you know. [Laughs]
- I like to think they're in the edit room
and they're just like, "What do you think?
Eh, let's get rid of that one, let's just-"
- I think so, I think that happened.
- How's Wanda doing in 'Doctor Strange?'
Are we gonna see her?
- She's doing great.
[Laughs]
- She's chill, she's like, "Oh, I'm good."
- She's like, really good.
- I know we can't say much, but I know you started shooting,
you're on pause right now because of lockdown,
but I'm so curious to see you get to mix it up
with Benedict [Cumberbatch] especially.
Can you say anything about what the dynamic is
between these two characters?
I mean, they-
- No, I can't, but we're having a lot of fun.
And for me, I don't feel like there's any repetition.
I feel like we've really allowed an evolution to happen
from 'WandaVision' and so, I'm just really enjoying
this kind of rediscovery and just playing with who she is.
And Sam Raimi's just such a fun person to work with.
And when I make him laugh on set,
it is like, I come home, and I'm just like, "I did my job."
I just want to make him laugh all the time.