“Eternity” is now in theaters and, like much of Elizabeth Olsen’s work in recent years, death is a large element of the film. But don’t worry, it’s by no means a sad story. For the actress herself, it was actually quite comforting — especially as it reflected just how all-consuming real-world capitalism has become.
Directed by David Freyne, “Eternity” sees Olsen star as Joan. She recently lost her husband Larry (Miles Teller) to an unfortunate pretzel incident, and reunites with him at the Afterlife Junction to cross over. The problem is, Joan’s first husband Luke (Callum Turner) is there too, and has been waiting for her for 60 years.
Now, Joan must choose to spend her afterlife with: the man she built a real life with, or her first love, who died in Korea fighting for his country, and whom she never got to have a real shot at life with.
There are plenty of laughs to be had — with additional comedy brought in by cast members Da’Vine Joy Randolph and John Early — and the humor specifically was something that piqued Olsen’s interest.
“The cleverness of the humor was something I really loved,” she told TheWrap. “It felt like a timeless story that could have been made — especially told in this kind of screwball comedy way — that could have been told within many different generations. But I do think David created such contemporary humor.”
Joan and her paramour also have to choose which eternity to live in, and there are countless options, from a world with no men, to an eternity on the beach and more. There are so many that the lobby of the station is bursting with salespeople, trying to sway newly departed souls.
“Even the afterlife itself felt incredibly contemporary and reflective of where we are as a culture today, where we are just consumers in a capitalist world,” Olsen said. “And the fact that the afterlife is not meeting your Creator or having some sort of spiritual awakening, that it truly is just more consumerism and sell, sell, sell — I just found [it] to be a very funny reflection of who our modern day God is.”
Yes, “Eternity” marks another film with death as a key piece of the story for Olsen, but really, she doesn’t necessarily think she’s specifically pulled to this theme, or that it’s a novel piece of storytelling in general.
“I think most things are about death and dying in storytelling, a lot of it is at least,” she said. “We try and tell stories with high stakes, and often stakes are created by our mortality, I think.”
“Eternity” itself isn’t even about death, but about love and lost love (though unexpectedly found). Still, she recognizes that viewers feel a trend in her work, beginning with the short-lived series “Sorry for Your Loss,” extending through her time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Wanda Maximoff, and into “His Three Daughters,” which released last year.
“With ‘Sorry for Your Loss,’ that was kind of the first, in a way. Whereas, all of the Scarlet Witch’s journey has just has been a very large evolution, so I don’t think of it as just one thing. It’s also about being a mother, which is more about creation,” she said.
“And then ‘His Three Daughters’ was really, to me — like you’ve said, this movie is not so much about death, it’s more about the infinite eternity — but I guess with [director Azazel Jacobs] is, as his friend, it was really kind of also like helping him prep himself for what was going to happen in some way with his parents.”
Olsen wouldn’t say it’s not a choice to do take on projects in this vein, but largely credits her character’s arc in the Disney+ series “WandaVision” for people drawing the throughline.
“But the whole arc of the Scarlet Witch, to me, is more than just that,” she reiterated.
“Eternity” marked an opportunity for Olsen to play a character truly in line with her inner self: a 90-year-old woman. The actress conceded that Joan really is a “sweet old lady,” but she found the joy of the character elsewhere.
“I do think there’s bite to her, though,” she said. “And her sense of humor, I think with Larry specifically, there is a — I think that the joy I had in portraying that relationship between Miles and I was kind of the intimacy that comes with that kind of bickering and the comfort you have with someone to not hold back exactly who you are, and how you feel, and your opinions about everything.”
All told, this film really was something comforting for Olsen. No spoilers, but her character ends up in a very simple eternity — ironically enough, one that doesn’t feel dissimilar to the MCU’s Westview, which made Olsen laugh — with the man she chooses and loves.
“I think the reason why, going back to this backdrop of the afterlife being this capitalist, consumerism, bureaucratic hell, it allows you to actually just focus on this simplicity, and the gravity, at the same time, of the relationships that we build in this world in a very mundane, banal way,” she shared.
“It doesn’t maybe sound the most exciting to be with someone for, you know, 20 years or 25 years, maybe nothing new seems like it comes of it, but I think every time you’re with someone for another year is actually something new. What we don’t know is what it would feel like to be with someone for that long,” Olsen concluded. “Who we become in our lives is directly informed by the people who are closest to us. And so I found it to be really comforting and a really sweet reflection on what is actually important.”
“Eternity” is now in theaters everywhere.
