Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, had her own unique journey in Hollywood. While she could have easily leveraged the fame of her older sisters, Olsen had different aspirations.
At the tender age of 10, she hit the “pause” button on acting, feeling like she was stuck in her sisters’ blockbuster shadow. But, spoiler alert, she came back, guns blazing, to show Hollywood she’s got her own script to write.
Elizabeth Olsen Talks About Growing Up As An ‘Olsen’
When you hear the name ‘Olsen,’ you may instantly think of the child prodigy twins from Full House. However, Elizabeth Olsen’s childhood in the peaceful suburb of Sherman Oaks was much more than having famous siblings.
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While Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen were gaining fame at a young age, Elizabeth Olsen spent her early years observing, understanding, and absorbing the nuances of an industry that can be both captivating and dangerous.
Olsen’s journey has been fascinating, especially regarding her relationship with her twin sisters’ fame. Many people might assume that being related to famous sisters would be a blessing, with opportunities coming easily.
However, as Elizabeth Olsen shares, many challenges came with it. She had to deal with curious NYU students knocking on her door and whispers about her lineage. Olsen expresses to The Guardian how the shadow of her sister’s fame followed her everywhere.
“Their fame made me more determined to study. I knew I wanted to be an actor, but I also didn’t want to start working when I was under 18. These days, my sisters are mainly an inspiration as business people, and whenever I feel like I’m ready to package some project of my own, they’ll probably be the first people I’ll talk to for advice. Also, I love their fashion lines – I practically live at their clothes company when I’m here.”
Despite this, Olsen remained undeterred. Instead of relying on her sisters’ success, she used it as motivation to forge her own identity.
The Olsen Parents Kept Them Grounded
Both parents, who were uninvolved in entertainment, prioritized stability and balance. Elizabeth Olsen fondly remembers her mother, a ballet dancer, and her father, a real estate mogul. The actress emphasizes their role in keeping the siblings grounded.
“My mother’s a ballet dancer – which isn’t what you call a job – and the mother of four children, and my father works full-time in real estate. My sisters run their own thing now. They have since they turned 18.”
Olsen briefly retired from acting at age 10 and recounts to The Guardian how her parents made her “write down a pros and cons list.”
“My parents made me write down a pros and cons list. And the cons just piled up. So I figured I’d keep acting as a hobby until I was older. Because I felt that pressure, and that people would say, ‘Oh, that’s nepotism.’ I decided that as long as I felt confident and worked hard for it, instead of having it handed to me, no one could take that away from me. I don’t have any insecurity about it. I never got any job because of my sisters. I could have pulled a few strings through them, but I never needed to.”
As years went by, Olsen immersed herself in acting studies in New York. Fast forward to the present, Olsen fans would agree that the MCU actress is the more popular Olsen with an even brighter future in Hollywood.
