Actress Elizabeth Olsen and director Spike Lee attend the screening of ‘Oldboy’ hosted by FilmDistrict with the Cinema Society and Grey Goose at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on November 11, 2013 in New York City.
“Oldboy” stars Elizabeth Olsen. She spoke about working with Director Spike Lee and shared what she admires about him as a filmmaker. Olsen also spoke about how excited she is to be starring in “The Avengers: Age of Ultron.” “Oldboy” hits theaters this Wednesday, November 27. Film Synopsis: “Oldboy” is a provocative, visceral thriller that follows the story of Joe Doucette, a man who is abruptly kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement, for no apparent reason. When he is suddenly released without explanation, he begins an obsessive mission to find out who imprisoned him, only to discover that the real mystery is why he was set free.
http://youtu.be/17S3pRKYa2E
Q: First off congrats on “Oldboy,” you were fantastic. Revenge is an important theme in “Oldboy.” Did any personal experiences help you make this film?
Elizabeth Olsen: Revenge stories, no. I honestly have such a big guilt complex that that type of energy, to make someone else’s life miserable, I feel like would hurt me more than them. (Laughs) So no, I’d rather just forgive and forget.
Q: People usually go see extreme movies such as “Oldboy” because they want to see their own extreme thoughts come out on screen. Do you feel this way?
Elizabeth Olsen: Sure, I mean yeah! I’ve made jokes before like “I’d love to know what it’s like to have this job.” And people are like “Well, you can one day, maybe. You can pretend for a bit.” So that’s fun, but with this movie not really. Nothing in this movie would I ever hope to secretly imagine for myself or anyone I know.
Q: So how was working with Spike Lee unique compared to other directors you’ve worked with before?
Elizabeth Olsen: He’s a very collaborative [director]. He’s exciting, he has so much energy and he has so much care. And he cares about his crew, and he cares about his team. He cares about whether or not you like your character’s name. He’s amazing, I love him. I want to work with him all the time. And he’s also an odd perfectionist. He kind of gets obsessive over something really small. You kind of like to poke fun at him about [it]. He knows exactly what he needs and what he wants out of a shot. And then he also knows when he gets it. And when you’re supposed to move on.
Q: So you were cast recently as the Scarlet Witch in “Avengers 2,” how did that come about?
Elizabeth Olsen: I don’t really know. I’m still kind of shocked by it. My brother’s a big comic book guy, I subsequently love those types of stories. I love sci-fi, I was raised as the biggest fan of “Star Wars.” And so those movies are fun to make. I’m obsessed with the “Iron Man” movies. And I met Joss [Whedon], I had no idea why and yeah! And it ends up being like the coolest [thing], I’m having so much fun just reading right now. It’s really awesome.
Q: Did you know the character at all beforehand?
Elizabeth Olsen: Somehow I didn’t! I asked my brother about it before taking the meeting, as I tend to do with anything that has to do with comic books or sci-fi novels or something. But yeah, so I only knew a little bit. But as the process has been getting deeper, I’m getting so excited.
Q: I’m sure your brother was excited for you when you got the role!
Elizabeth Olsen: I think he still doesn’t think he’s allowed to talk about it. He loved having that secret! (Laughs)
-Jagpal Khahera
