‘Eternity’: Elizabeth Olsen On A24’s Afterlife Rom-Com, Her “Theatrical Movies” Comments & Not Jumping From Franchise To Franchise [Interview]

After years of psychological thrillers, grief-stricken dramas, and Marvel-scale spectacle, Elizabeth Olsen takes an unexpected turn with “Eternity,” a darkly funny and bittersweet romantic comedy about love, loss, and what comes next. Directed by David Freyne, who co-wrote the film with Pat Cunnane, the movie envisions an afterlife that resembles a consumer paradise — a glossy, mall-like purgatory where heaven is branded and heartbreak never ends.

Olsen stars as Joan, a 90-year-old woman whose husband Larry dies suddenly, only for her to wake in a version of eternity that feels like a retirement resort designed by late capitalism. There, she’s forced to choose between the man she spent her life with, Larry (played by Miles Teller), and her first love, Luke (played by Callum Turner), who died young and has been waiting decades for her to arrive.

A wry blend of absurdism and emotional realism, “Eternity” turns domestic routine into cosmic reflection — the kind of deceptively simple story that asks huge questions about fulfillment, regret, and the meaning of devotion. Olsen delivers a performance that’s quietly aching and unexpectedly funny, grounding Freyne’s surreal premise with a palpable sense of humanity.

READ MORE: Elizabeth Olsen Says She’s Not In ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ Doesn’t Know When Wanda Returns & Talks Projects By Todd Solondz & More

Speaking ahead of the film’s theatrical release from A24, Olsen discussed the film’s humor and heartbreak, her views on the streaming landscape, the realities of bringing challenging projects to life, and how the ordinary can become epic when viewed through the lens of eternity.

There’s an immediate spark of humor and humanity in “Eternity.” What grabbed you when you first read it?
The humor pretty quickly took me. Truly, the moment Larry dies choking on a pretzel, I thought, “God, I wish I were this lucky — where I get to grow old with my husband and then he goes choking on a pretzel.” It all felt like something I could imagine happening. Their relationship and that bantering took me by surprise.

And I found a few things — like the backdrop of the eternity being this reflection of where we’ve become as a culture, where our god is actually consumerism and capitalism, and that’s what the afterlife is. It has no extra spiritual meaning; it’s just a continuation. Then the idea of being 90 years old and feeling like you’ve gone through your life making huge decisions — and it’s probably been half your life since you’ve had to make one — that’s overwhelming and confusing. If you were alive, you’d probably have a heart attack and die again.

At the end of the day, when you’ve lived a whole life, if you knew it wasn’t finite, would you still make the choices you made? It’s a simple story, but it packs a punch.

READ MORE: ‘Eternity’ Review: A Heavenly Twist On The Love Triangle

How do you see Joan? If you had to describe her to a friend, where is she emotionally when we meet her?
We learn about her diagnosis, and that’s a huge surprise, but she also feels fortunate to have gotten to this age — she’s going to her seventh grandchild’s gender-reveal party. You know you’ve lived a whole life, you feel lucky, and your days are filled with the small things: bickering about habits that drive you crazy but are also comforting, errands, schedules. Your life becomes so simple.

And then all of a sudden, the most ordinary life becomes this epic love story you wake up in the middle of, which is shocking and surprising to her. And there are relatable layers — the grass-is-greener idea, choosing the dependable thing or the shiny bright thing that was never fulfilled. That tension gives an edge to a romantic comedy like this.

This one’s a high-concept romantic comedy. Do you have a favorite in that realm?
Maybe not exactly high-concept, but I’d be crazy not to say “Annie Hall” was the most impactful film to me when I was in school. Watching Diane Keaton in that era truly carved… not the person I became, but the person I allowed myself to lean into. It was like, “Oh, that’s an option.”

I started wearing suspenders, vests, hats, and scarves; I could be neurotic, and I could be so many different types of things because of the characters she played. I think of her films a lot.

There’s also the universal pull of love triangles — the dependable versus the unresolved spark.
What’s so sweet about focusing on Joan and Larry is this idea of ordinary love, whereas with Luke, she’s returned to something she never got to have. I genuinely believe we pick up where we left off with people; if you haven’t seen someone in ten years, you often inadvertently revert to who you were the last time you saw them.

Joan feels that youthful, excitable love for the first time in 65 years. It was real and meant a lot, but it’s totally different from the woman she’s become. She’s returned to a youthful part of herself that maybe isn’t who she is anymore — but perhaps it’s something she wants back. David wrote those differences between the relationships in a way I thought was very sweet.

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You seem to bounce around a lot in your choice of roles, across genres and tones. Is that intentional? Do you enjoy constantly challenging yourself?
Yeah, I do. I love bouncing around. Right now, it just feels like a challenge to get something made that’s a film. There are things with fantastic filmmakers that I would love to figure out how to get made for the budget they want to make them for — that’s really the key element.

I’m having such a good time right now. I feel like every year I double down on my love of this job and this career, and I think it’s because of the people I’ve been so lucky to work with and grow with and grow from. I love watching what Sebastian’s been choosing — his last year, those characters couldn’t have been more different.

I’m not really interested in just jumping from franchise to franchise. I’m hoping to create things that are more reflective of our culture and the current time.

You mentioned franchises and the current landscape. How do you feel about the way big-budget movies are being made and released now?
I think a lot of the biggest-budget projects, most of them don’t get theatrical releases these days. They go, which I think is such a shame when you have such power behind them.

It’s not like I don’t stream things — of course I do. I stream, rent things, and do whatever else. But I don’t want that to be the end goal. I’m having a lot of fun getting to work with people where you have to be a bit more creative when you’re given less money, to be honest.

When you have more money, you need to be able to cater to a larger number of people. When you have less, you have more of a leader in the director’s creative vision. Unless you’re Paul Thomas Anderson or Tarantino, you know what I mean? Then you can do whatever you want.

You were also going to work with Todd Solondz and Panos Cosmatos, which are fascinating pairings. Are those projects still in the works, or is it mainly a budget issue?
Yeah, I mean, these are ambitious projects. They’re not sub–$5 million projects, you know? They’re challenging to an audience, too. So we’re trying everything.

I think the entire industry is trying to figure out how to recoup their investment in films with higher budgets that are currently being released. So it’s complicated. But they’re still things I care about and would love to see happen.

There was also that whole internet flare-up about your comments on theatrical releases — people twisting it into, “She doesn’t want to work if it’s not in theaters.” Did that feel strange from your side?
Yeah, it was something that took off in a way I didn’t expect. I think the reason it was surprising is that I was just discussing how I conduct my own business, which shouldn’t affect how anyone else experiences going to the movies.

I wasn’t telling people to spend their money at movie theaters. People can spend their money on whatever they want. I don’t spend my money on tennis shoes; I spend my money going to movie theaters.

I do think streamers have replaced Blockbuster — I’m not in denial. And I do think they’re very useful; it’s what television is largely now, an addition to television as well. I just happen to think that when you view art on a cell phone, it will appear differently from how it does in a museum, in the same way I feel that watching a film on a small screen differs from going to the theater. I see them similarly.

I didn’t mean for it to be me telling people what to do. I don’t care how people spend their money. I know that going to the movies can be really expensive. I make jokes that I’m going to Disneyland — it’s really expensive. However, people save money and choose to spend it as they please.

“Eternity” is set to open in theaters nationwide on November 26, 2025.

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