Elizabeth Olsen has charmed audiences not just with her surname but with her own resplendent performances in Tinseltown. Far from riding on her sisters’ coattails, she is a tour de force in her own right, capturing hearts as Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But did you know her acting journey was also seasoned with indie gems like Martha Marcy May Marlene and Silent House before she stormed the big screen, reacting to the awe-inspiring CGI behemoth in Godzilla?
Indeed, it was in this crucible of special effects and colossal creatures that she not only delivered her best but also found admiration for one Inception star’s dedication. Hint: He is not the one you’re thinking of!
Sharing the screen with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, and Bryan Cranston, Olsen was in esteemed company. Yet, it wasn’t the iconic Cranston who won her heart on set, but rather the Japanese actor Ken Watanabe.
Elizabeth Olsen’s First CGI Adventure: What Was It Like to Work in Godzilla?
One of the significant milestones for Elizabeth Olsen was her foray into the world of CGI with the 2014 reboot of Godzilla, which was her first major encounter with the high-stakes world of special effects and monster mayhem.
The 2014 film that kickstarted the Monsterverse was not just another blockbuster—it was a massive leap into a different world of filmmaking. For Olsen, it was a giant step up from her previous roles. In a 2014 Screen Rant interview, she candidly shared her first experience with extensive CGI effects in a film.
Yeah, it was definitely my first time doing something like this. I didn’t have any green screen to work with, though, it was all just an eye line and imagination.
This experience was a far cry from her role in Avengers: Age of Ultron, where CGI was more integrated into the filmmaking process. In the film, Olsen described her approach as “interacting with something that’s not there,” a step up from the more abstract experience of Godzilla.
The Marvel film involved a more tangible interaction with the virtual elements, blending her performance with the visual effects in a way that was different from her earlier work. To quote the actress, 35:
It’s so crazy, you know, because you’re like—the main difference is in Godzilla you’re reacting to something that’s not there, and in something like The Avengers, is you’re approaching and almost interacting with something that’s not there.
In her big introduction to Gareth Edwards’ 2014 monster flick, Olsen found herself working alongside acclaimed actors like Ken Watanabe & Bryan Cranston. While some may have expected Olsen to name Cranston as her favorite co-star, it was Watanabe whose devotion to his role in Godzilla left a lasting impression on her.
Elizabeth Olsen’s Tribute to Ken Watanabe’s Godzilla Commitment
When Screen Rant further probed Elizabeth Olsen about the shift from indie films to iconic franchises like The Avengers and Godzilla, Elizabeth Olsen provided a rich tapestry of insights into her experiences.
The Red Lights actress reflected on her encounters with Hollywood stalwarts like Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe. But her admiration for the Inception star’s profound connection to Godzilla is particularly telling. Olsen noted:
Especially Ken’s point of view, because the way he talks about Godzilla is with so much love, and it’s so part of his country’s culture.
In contrast, for Cranston, Godzilla holds a different kind of nostalgia. It’s a cherished piece of his childhood, a relic of a time when monster movies were his personal treasures. Olsen shared:
But for Bryan it was his favorite thing as a kid.
Olsen herself grew up in a world where Godzilla wasn’t the centerpiece of pop culture. Instead, she found her own cinematic hero in Star Wars, a franchise that, for her generation, served as the epicenter of fantasy and adventure.
Godzilla—a reboot that resonated with both old and new fans—was a box office juggernaut, grossing a staggering $529 million worldwide against a $160 million production budget (The Numbers). The film’s success didn’t stop there. It paved the way for the sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, released in 2019, further entrenching the franchise’s place in modern cinematic lore.
Stream Godzilla on Max.
