Lizzie Olsen: Miss Independent
Mary-Kate and Ashley named half their label Elizabeth & James after her, but for her own success story, the little sister and rising film star relies on no one. Check out more pictures of Lizzie wearing all sorts of Chanel finery here.
I'm the curvy one of the family." Kewpie eyes and nose aside, Lizzie Olsen's 5'7" frame and shapely figure belie her shared parentage with the famously petite Mary-Kate and Ashley. Yet "it's very clear that I'm the younger sister," she asserts. "My whole life they've been like women, while I've been trying to be a woman but still a kid."
All that changed at last year's Sundance Film Festival, where the 22-year-old's star turns in two very-adult indies — Silent House and Martha Marcy May Marlene — ignited a new Olsen fever. The youngest of four siblings, Olsen has been cultivating a sense of gravitas for years. "I've always had a complex about being taken seriously," she says over lunch of fava-bean salad and burrata. "I never wanted anyone to think that I would use my family name to get me anywhere." So she plunged into an ongoing study of her craft, spending summers at musical theater camp and attending the prestigious Atlantic Theater Company at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts — with a semester in Russia at the Moscow Art Theater School for good measure.
"I've always loved being a student," Olsen says. (She refused to read the Spy Kids script for her very first audition because "it was too big, and I had schoolwork.") But dorm living? Not so much. "That's the only time in my life I ever felt different for having sisters in the public eye," she says. "People would knock on my door and be like, 'I heard there was a party here,' just because they knew that I lived in that room. It was so weird."
She's since moved into a classic New York junior one-bedroom: "It's like a closet — I need to stop doing independent films so I don't have to live in 300 square feet." Her upcoming thriller, Red Lights, with Robert De Niro, Sigourney Weaver, and Cillian Murphy, may be just the ticket. There's also the holidays at home in L.A. to look forward to. So what does an Olsen family Christmas look like? "My sisters and I do most of the cooking because we love it. We jazz up the holidays with mashed cauliflower. It's so delicious; it's Mary-Kate's signature." A family of fashion designers, style icons, actresses, and chefs — it's an Olsen world, we just live in it.
Stay In The Know
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.
-
Keke Palmer Says “Walking Away Is the Only Way” After Opening up About “Unhealthy” Relationship
"It was the hardest thing I ever had to go through," the star wrote in her new book.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
Adele's Custom Gown Is a "Bridge Between Worlds"—and a Milestone First
Gaurav Gupta exclusively takes 'Marie Claire' inside its making.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
It Seems Like We Could Return to the Pods Soon—Here's What We Know About 'Love Is Blind' Season 8
Some fans even think they've figured out where Netflix is looking for its next set of romantic hopefuls.
By Quinci LeGardye Published
-
Actors Who Are Nothing Like Their Most Iconic Characters
Talk about awards-worthy, transformative performances.
By Katherine J. Igoe Published
-
The Question on Everyone's Lips: Did Beyoncé Skip the 2024 MTV VMAs?
It's been a few years since she last graced the carpet with her presence.
By Kelsey Stiegman Published
-
Why Isn't Selena Gomez at the 2024 VMAs?
Her absence became even more noticeable after her bestie Taylor Swift showed up.
By Hanna Lustig Published
-
Jennifer Lopez Thought Ben Affleck Was a "Changed Man" But Being Married to Him Was "Impossible"
"Friends think he is selfish, sullen, impossible to please most of the time and negative."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Sarah Hyland and Adam Devine Play 'How Well Do You Know Your Co-Star?'
The 'Modern Family' stars reunited for the 'Pitch Perfect' spinoff series.
By Brooke Knappenberger Published
-
The 78 Best Celebrity Couple Halloween Costumes of All Time
Honestly, we're impressed.
By Charlotte Chilton Published
-
Super Rare Photos of Queen Elizabeth as a Young Woman
From childhood snapshots to portraits as a young princess, beautiful and rare photos of the late Queen Elizabeth as a young woman.
By Mehera Bonner Published
-
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla's Relationship: A Timeline
With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Charles has ascended to the throne as king.
By The Editors Published