The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a powerful force in the entertainment industry, one that consistently puts out new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. And audiences are hoping that fan favorite characters will appear in upcoming Marvel movies, especially Elizabeth Olsen‘s Wanda Maximoff. And the WanadaVision icon recently got real about why people don’t get it when weighing in on the green screen acting debate.
For a while now, there’s been chatter about the process of filming movies that require lots of green screen work, especially within the MCU. Emilia Clarke has talked about the stigma that can come with genre work in the industry, and now the Scarlet Witch herself has weighed in. While speaking in an interview with THR, she explained a key part of the gig that some people just don’t understand. She said:
You really have to embrace this dumb point of view, where you feel like a 7-year-old playing make-believe. I do believe that at some point they should release a full version of one of the movies, without any of the special effects so people can see how hard it is.
There you have it. Given the huge amount of work done with green screen projects in post-production, it’s up to the actors to use their imagination and emotionality to build these worlds while filming. In some ways it sounds like being a big kid, and in other ways it sounds wildly difficult.
Elizabeth Olsen has been playing Wanda for years now, so she definitely understands this particular challenge. All of her powers are add through visual effects, so she has to physically sell the action, including her iconic use of isolation in her fingers. Wanda’s best moments are only possible because of what Olsen was able to craft in her mind and body.
Fans who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order understand the long and grueling hours the cast and crew puts into each new release. But it seems that sentiment isn’t necessarily shared among some entertainment industry professionals. And I agree with Olsen that I’d love to see more raw footage from MCU sets.
The debate about “green screen acting” in many ways feels like an extension about the conversation about whether superhero projects like the MCU count as “art” or “film.” Martin Scorsese said they weren’t cinema, and the legendary Francis Ford Coppola even included Dune and No Time to Die in this dismissal. Add in the strong feelings of Marvel fans, and smart money says the discourse will continue for the foreable future.
The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Captain America: Brave New World on February 14th. Check the 2025 movie release dates to see what other titles are arriving in the New Year.