Elizabeth Olsen loves how Jane Fonda speaks in anecdotes.
The younger actress played the 77-year-old star's granddaughter in 2011's Peace, Love & Misunderstanding, which marked Elizabeth's first mainstream movie.
She has since paved herself a successful career in Hollywood, appearing in last year's Godzilla and joining the Marvel universe in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Upon Jane revealing how proud she is of Elizabeth, the 26-year-old beauty returned the favour by sharing lessons she has learnt from her former co-star.
“The best thing about Jane is that she speaks in anecdotes. The stories she tells about being in the south of France, jumping off cliff tops into the water with Greta Garbo, are beyond anything you can imagine," Elizabeth smiled to The Edit. "She’s aware of how special those stories are and she wants to share them with people. Also, she has this great thing where she thinks of life in three acts: first thirty, second thirty and third thirty. She insists you can change who you are at any point, so that you never stop improving and evolving. That’s what I gleaned most from her.”
It may have been her cinema breakthrough, but Elizabeth doesn't hold many fond feelings for Peace, Love & Misunderstanding. The film was poorly received upon its release, with the actress describing it as a "horrible movie", but she will always be grateful for the "amazing experience".
Growing up, the younger sister of child stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen had plenty of famous females she idolised. She's open to experimenting with her roles, but does have some boundaries which she sticks to.
“I love Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett. I remember watching Holy Smoke and thinking that it was so reassuring to see a young Kate doing something that was so bold in so many ways. I thought to myself, ‘OK, so it doesn’t destroy your career if you appear nude or take risks.’ Because not everyone in my family and group of friends thought it was the best idea to be naked in a movie," she added. “You want that voyeuristic quality, but I never feel I have to be nude – and you won’t ever see me in a beauty shot in a bikini on a beach. That’s a character I will never play.”
