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WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen revealed she almost changed her last name to avoid any association with worldwide known twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. According to the 32-year-old actress, she even considered using her middle name so people wouldn’t think she would get the roles because of her sisters.
“I was ten, and I was curious about auditioning … and I realized very quickly it wasn’t for me because I was missing my sports teams, my dance class, and all the extracurricular activities at school,” Elizabeth told Glamour UK. “But during that time, I thought, ‘I don’t want to be associated with [Mary-Kate and Ashley],’ for some reason,” she continued.
“I guess I understood what nepotism was like inherently as a 10-year-old. I don’t know if I knew the word, but there is some sort of association of not earning something that I think bothered me at a very young age,” she added.
The actress also recalled thinking: “‘I’m going to be Elizabeth Chase when I become an actress.’” Elizabeth ended up using her last name and has become one of the most reputable celebrities in the industry.
Olsen is very close to her older sisters, and as reported by the publication, the most significant advice they passed on is to say “no” without explaining unapologetically.
“No is a full sentence,” Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
“The word ‘No’ specifically was something that I remember my sisters isolating and it becoming really empowering,” Elizabeth Olsen says. “And for women, it’s a really empowering word. People say ‘Just say no to drugs,’ but truly, you can just say no whenever the hell you want! It’s really a powerful thing.”
“I always felt like I could say ‘No’ in any work situation – if someone was making me feel uncomfortable – and I just feel like that’s what we need. We don’t have to follow suit if it doesn’t feel right. We need to be listening to our gut. There was a time where women were competing with one another, and now we’re at a time where women are holding each other up,” she added.
The actress also revealed she listened to her gut when she decided to shut down her social media accounts. “I’m never going back to social media. And it’s not even like I was bullied,” she states. “[I thought] Wait, why am I even trying to create a character version of myself and put it out in the world? And the whole thing just made me uncomfortable, and it’s not even like I was really paying attention to comments or anything. I just felt weird how it organized my brain… I’m not someone who’s obsessed with using a platform in any way.”
According to Olsen, they are pointless. “I work for nonprofits that I’m really proud of, and I do love talking about them, but I don’t feel the need to champion or denounce every single thing that happens in the world. It feels like a lot of strange noise that doesn’t feel substantial. And so during the pandemic, I was like, Oh, this is just not for me. And I just got rid of it.”