Elizabeth Olsen is the younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, as many people know, some as early asWandaVision. Besides allowing her to have insight into the industry from a young age, it also allowed the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) star to have role models in the art of how to be a globally-recognized celebrity. One of the rules that Mary-Kate and Ashley handed down is that ”‘No’ is a full sentence.”
“The word ‘No’ specifically was something that I remember my sisters isolating and it becoming really empowering. And for women, it’s a really empowering word. People say ‘Just say no to drugs,’ but truly, you may just say no whenever the hell you want! It’s really a powerful thing.” Olsen said toGlamourlast year. “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.”
That’s why Olsen doesn’t hesitate to turn down anything she doesn’t want to do, such as being a presenter at onstage shows like the Emmys or Oscars. According to Olsen, she’s tried that in the past and didn’t like it, so she decided that presenting wasn’t worth the feeling of passing out that she gets doing it. In the past, Olsen has talked about her struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, such as how that related toWandaVisiontackles a story with mental health by including humor.
Elizabeth Olsen Took Her Sisters' Advice, Sometimes
During an interview withTheIndependent, Olsen also explained that the way she’s adopted her sister’s ‘No’ mantra over the years has changed. When she was younger, she used it more as a young female ready for an aggressor. “I’ve always kind of been tough like that – maybe to a fault at times. I just think maybe I could have massaged things a bit differently, or maybe I could have had some nuance. But I do think it’s an important thing for a young woman to know, or hear, or empower themselves with.”
Of course, there were times when she didn’t always follow their advice. When she was younger, most of the things they would tell her were things she wouldn’t do because she adopted an attitude of “‘I’m going to do it myself! You can’t tell me!’." Then she would find out that they were right and she would end up doing the thing they told her to do in the first place.
“I think my sisters are some of the most amazing people to look at, with what they’ve created for themselves and how they conduct themselves,” Olsen said, an air of pride apparent. “I’m really in awe of what they’ve built, and I do think that came from them having such a healthy perspective – and I could only benefit from that healthy perspective. I think it has informed how I conduct myself.”
