Elizabeth Olsen's Reaction to Meeting Mark Hamill Was Absolutely Priceless

By Michael Hein

Elizabeth Olsen has never been shy about the fact that she can geek out with the best of them. The actress is now an A-list star and a nerd culture legend as one of the main characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but she still finds herself starstruck from time to time. The clearest examples are these fan-favorite photos of Olsen meeting Star Wars star Mark Hamill for the first time.

Olsen and Hamill apparently met for the first time ever at the premiere of Captain America: Civil War, though the validity of these pictures is hard to pin down. That doesn't stop fans from sharing them and swooning for Olsen, noting that she is not so different from them. Olsen is practically on the verge of crying when she sees Hamill in these shots, and Hamill himself retweeted them earlier this year with his own commentary. Olsen has confirmed that she has been a die-hard Star Wars fan for years.

The idea that Olsen is a die-hard fan just like them gives many viewers a fresh appreciation for what she brings to blockbuster franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Olsen has always been loud and proud with her love for Star Wars. In an interview with Collider, she said that she specifically modeled her career after the enduring sci-fi classic.

"I was obsessed with Star Wars. You couldn't peel me away from Star Wars as a child. And so I was trying to figure out, how do I start putting that out there because I feel like all I'm getting are these really disturbed women in independent films," Olsen said. She laughed as she acknowledged that this might describe Wanda Maximof as well, saying: "[Now] it's just a disturbed woman in a big franchise!"

Today, Olsen is likely best-known for playing Wanda, a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch — one of the most powerful Avengers and a character who is central to the plot, both in terms of fantastical world-ending stakes and personal, dramatic stakes. The idea that her performance was informed by years of watching and re-watching another cult-classic franchise illuminates her character in new ways.

Olsen has been star-struck by other Star Wars actors before as well. In a 2016 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, she recalled nervously meeting Harrison Ford. She said: "First off, Star Wars — I've been a huge fan since I was 5. Indiana Jones was everything to me."

Some day, the next generation of stars may feel the same way about WandaVision. The series is streaming now on Disney+, and there's no telling which MCU production the Scarlet Witch might show up in next.

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