Why Elizabeth Olsen calls aging 'privilege' after filming 'Eternity'

Elizabeth Olsen has long been labeled an “old soul,” and her new film Eternity has only deepened her connection to that idea.

In David Freyne’s fantasy romance, she plays Joan Cutler, a woman who dies at 90 yet appears in the afterlife as her 30-something self—the age she was happiest. The role pushed Olsen to reflect more directly on aging and the privilege of living a long life.

“I think about mortality all the time,” Olsen said. “But Eternity has actually made me think even more about how aging is such a privilege and how badly I would love to grow old.”

She added that she wasn’t fortunate enough to know most of her grandparents, making longevity feel even more precious: “You just don’t know if you are going to have that opportunity to grow old.”

Olsen has been struck by how personally viewers have responded to the film’s themes. After early screenings, people who’d recently lost loved ones shared that the story offered unexpected comfort.

“I really enjoyed it, and it created a sense of comfort for me,” one viewer told her. “I actually felt a sort of healing.”

For Olsen, the film aligned with her own sensibilities more than a traditional contemporary romcom ever could. “Being 36 years old, I can’t really imagine myself doing a romantic comedy as someone in the modern world,” she explained.

“But I felt like I could do this romantic comedy as a 90-year-old [in a 30-something woman’s body]… It’s something that feels unique to how I feel.”

Ultimately, Eternity reaffirmed her belief that even lives that appear “ordinary” hold profound meaning: “Every love story is extraordinary once you’re up close to it.”