"I’m so distant from it": Eternity star Elizabeth Olsen shares how she struggles to relate to pop culture

Elizabeth Olsen, best known for her role as Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has opened up about her sense of disconnection from today's pop culture trends. In interviews promoting her new film Eternity, Olsen explained how this distance influences her career choices particularly in romantic comedies.

The comments came in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter where Olsen discussed her aversion to starring in a modern day romantic comedy. She shared-

“This might sound silly, but being 36 years old, I can’t really imagine myself doing a romantic comedy as someone in the modern world. I don’t really feel like I know how to capture pop culture of this moment, because I’m so distant from it.

"But I felt like I could do this romantic comedy as a 90-year-old [in a 30-something woman’s body], and it felt like an opportunity that I wouldn’t have again. It’s something that feels unique to how I feel in some ways.”

Olsen attributes this detachment partly to her life stage. As a mother of two young children with husband Robbie Arnett, her focus is on family routines rather than online buzz. She has prioritized roles that allow for depth over trend, a pattern seen throughout her career.

This perspective shaped her approach to Eternity, an A24 romantic comedy directed by David Freyne who co-wrote the script with Pat Cunnane. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2025 and hits theatres nationwide in the United States on November 26, 2025.

What is Elizabeth Olsen’s Eternity all about?

Set in a whimsical afterlife called the Afterlife Junction, a bustling train station where souls decide their eternal fate, Eternity follows Joan played by Elizabeth Olsen, a 90-year-old woman, in the body of a 30-year-old.

Just a week after her second husband Larry's death, Joan reunites with him (Miles Teller). But complications arise when her first love, Luke (Callum Turner) appears. Luke, a soldier who died young in wartime, has waited 67 years in the Junction for her.

With only one week to choose her eternal companion and destination, options range from sunny beaches to cosy libraries. The story blends humor, regret and heartfelt reflection on long-term love versus youthful passion. 

Supporting roles include Da'Vine Joy Randolph as an afterlife counsellor, with John Early as a quirky station attendant and Olga Merediz as a wise elderly soul.

Principal photography took place in Vancouver from May 24 to July 5, 2024. Freyne known for the Irish comedy The Legend of Barney Thomson, drew inspiration from classics like Heaven Can Wait.

For Olsen, the project landed in her inbox as a refreshing change. She said-

“The script reminded me more of something my mother would’ve shown me as a little girl. It reminded me of a funny older film that she would’ve loved. And yet, at the same time, the writing is contemporary. There’s this screwball element along with these universal truths and comforts that I thought was a nice opportunity.”

For Olsen, the film Eternity is personal. She has spoken about her own fears of mortality. She told USA Today-

"I think a lot about death because I don't want to die young. I don't think about an afterlife. I think that's why I really don't like the idea of dying. I would be comforted if I had a belief in something else, but I don't. I've been curious, but I can't quite believe in it." 

The film will portray a classical love triangle which will definitely resonate with the audience. Olsen shared with The Hollywood Reporter-

“We’re in a time where we’re just obsessed with all of our options. We want to know what the perfect option is for anything: “What’s the perfect way to do this? What’s the perfect life hack? What’s the perfect brand of toothpaste? What’s the perfect toothbrush?” We can now ask ChatGPT for options. We can throw a bunch of information into it, and we want it to give us all the right answers.”

She added-

“So there’s something to be said about using storytelling to show these different paths we could have gone down, or that we could go down, because we’re in a world where we just want endless options all the time. So there’s a way to do that through storytelling when you have this threesome [of characters] or whatever people would call it.”

Watch Eternity in theatres starting today, November 26, 2025, via A24's nationwide release. 

Streaming is expected on platforms like Netflix or Max in early 2026.

Stay tuned for more such updates!