While many know Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or for her breakout role in the 2011 independent film Martha Marcy May Marlene, the actress credits a humble Broadway understudy role—a position she never actually went on stage to perform—with giving her the critical professional start she needed. Elizabeth Olsen’s 2009 Broadway understudy break becomes the silent spark that stunned even Jeremy Irons as her Hollywood destiny ignited just two years later. Olsen, the younger sister of famous twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, initially appeared in some of her sisters’ projects as a child but had a period where she considered quitting acting altogether due to the intense media scrutiny surrounding her family. She refocused her efforts by pursuing rigorous formal training.
The Broadway Turning Point: Impressionism
Olsen, a student at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, was taking classes with the Atlantic Theater Company and studying at the Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia, focusing heavily on theater. It was during this period in her sophomore year that she secured the pivotal role. The play was Impressionism, performed at The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway, and it starred Hollywood heavyweights Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen. Olsen served as the Understudy for the character Nicole Halladay, with the play opening on March 24, 2009. The play provided Olsen with a professional environment and an official entry on her resume.
The True Value of Understudying
Olsen has stated in interviews that securing the understudy role in Impressionism (and an earlier Off-Broadway understudy role in the play Dust) was the direct catalyst for her film career, not because of the performance, but because of the professional opportunities it created. “Those brought her to the attention of an agent, and her career blossomed from there.” In the highly competitive world of professional acting, an official credit on a Broadway production—even as an understudy—demonstrates formal training, dedication, and professional exposure. For Olsen, this credit was the essential validation she needed. It opened the door to securing an agent who was willing to represent her, paving the way for her to audition for film roles once she graduated.
Career Milestones That Followed
The connection to her agent, secured during her time as an understudy, directly led to her breakthrough. Just two years later, in her 2011 Film Debut, Olsen garnered widespread critical acclaim for her titular role in the psychological thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene, which earned her several major awards and nominations. She later returned to the stage to star as Juliet in a 2013 Stage Debut of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet at the Classic Stage Company. Most significantly, she was cast as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch, a role she first appeared in in the post-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and has carried throughout the Marvel franchise, cementing her status as a global star. In Elizabeth Olsen’s journey, the quiet, backstage role of an understudy on Broadway served as the unexpected yet essential bridge between her academic training and her Hollywood destiny.