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How Full House inspired Marvel Studios' WandaVision, according to Elizabeth Olsen (who secretly appeared on the show)
Elizabeth Olsen was preparing for WandaVision since childhood – she just didn’t know it.
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe was inspired by many talented individuals. Watching each film or television project, you might see the influence of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Frank Miller, and the Olsen twins. No, that wasn’t a mistake. Let’s rewind.
Decades before she was cast as the Scarlet Witch, Elizabeth Olsen was just a little girl who liked to watch her big sisters at work. In her case, the big sisters were Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, preteen actresses who starred in the family sitcom Full House. In fact, one of Elizabeth’s first onscreen appearances was during the final curtain call for the series. If you watch this video, she’s the one handing the flowers to her big sisters.
During a guest appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, Olsen was asked if her memories on the Full House set served as an inspiration during the making of WandaVision. “That was absolutely a reference when we were getting into the ‘80s,” Olsen said.
Olsen also noted the insane work ethic her older sisters had, as they began working on the show as infants. “It feels in some ways larger, because they had responsibilities since they were so young. At six months they started working.”
In addition to Full House, Olsen said that she drew from her childhood watching classic sitcom reruns. “I was also raised loving old shows from the ‘50s because my mom did, and there was TV Land, or Nick at Nite or whatever it was.”
She recalled that the WandaVision set was very professional, which she attributed to her costars. “If you’re one of the leaders on set, you set a tone. However prepared you are going to be, other people will then realize they should be. I don’t hold other people to those standards, but that is what I will do. Since then, with WandaVision, with Paul Bettany and I, and Kathyrn Hahn, that’s how we all worked. And then everyone who came into that world with us, they all did the same. It’s setting a tone and standard that I think really creates a focused energy on set that’s all about the doing.”
And to think, some of that came together because of Full House. To put this in perspective, it means that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen influenced the direction of the MCU. Keep that in mind the next time you catch a Full House rerun.
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