We all have one in our feed: That girl whose hair is perfectly tousled and shiny despite the 89% humidity index. Who seemingly doesn't have a job, because she's at her cute neighborhood café snapping perfectly lit shots of her avocado toast at 12:03 p.m. Who loooooves everything, and thinks every single person she touches with her glowy aura is the best ever. Who, despite being just a good ol' regular girl, somehow has managed to snag $1,260 Vetements sock boots.
She is the Instagram influencer. And we love to hate her.
But what lies behind that perfectly tanned leg casually resting in the golden sand on a Sunday afternoon, while you were busy doing laundry? Could that girl actually be hiding the same deep-seated insecurities we all have?
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That's what Elizabeth Olsen would like people to take away from Ingrid Goes West, in which she plays Taylor Sloane, an Instagram influencer who suddenly becomes the target of Ingrid Thorburn's (Aubrey Plaza) latest obsession. The catch? Taylor isn't actually as put together as she appears online.
Playing someone who lives their entire lives online was a leap for Olsen, who, growing up in the spotlight as younger sister to the Olsen twins, was especially protective of her privacy. We asked the actress how she prepped for the role, whether it's changed how she approaches social media, and what she has in common with her character.
What first drew you to this movie?
Elizabeth Olsen: "Actually, it’s a longer story. I had a friend who told me, 'there's a script called Ingrid Goes West; if it comes your way at any point, I think you'd be really funny for that part.' And then about three months later my team was sending me a list of things that I had to say yay or nay on for reading, and I saw Ingrid there! And when I read it, I loved it. I thought it was really funny, that it captured Los Angeles in a really clever way, and captured this generational moment in an intelligent way, and shone a funny satirical shining light. And also working opposite another woman is a rare thing. Aubrey is known as a comedic genius in her own right, and I was really excited to get to learn from her."
Elizabeth Olsen: "Actually, it’s a longer story. I had a friend who told me, 'there's a script called Ingrid Goes West; if it comes your way at any point, I think you'd be really funny for that part.' And then about three months later my team was sending me a list of things that I had to say yay or nay on for reading, and I saw Ingrid there! And when I read it, I loved it. I thought it was really funny, that it captured Los Angeles in a really clever way, and captured this generational moment in an intelligent way, and shone a funny satirical shining light. And also working opposite another woman is a rare thing. Aubrey is known as a comedic genius in her own right, and I was really excited to get to learn from her."
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How did you prepare to play an influencer? I heard you had to create a Taylor Sloane Instagram account.
"I made a Taylor account, and then followed influencers. Some of them were fashionistas going to fashion shows. Some of them were lifestyle bloggers with really beautiful homes where I was really curious where they bought their sofa, or if they found it at a flea market, and then there are people who have created online brands or online fashion labels. There's a sense of humor to it. There are certain people in my life who I kind of stole personality traits from, and certain things I know people in Los Angeles are interested in that I just find funny. You kind of pick and choose what makes an amalgamation of someone who's really trying hard to fit in, and really trying hard to be liked, and really hoping to make an impression on people."
"I made a Taylor account, and then followed influencers. Some of them were fashionistas going to fashion shows. Some of them were lifestyle bloggers with really beautiful homes where I was really curious where they bought their sofa, or if they found it at a flea market, and then there are people who have created online brands or online fashion labels. There's a sense of humor to it. There are certain people in my life who I kind of stole personality traits from, and certain things I know people in Los Angeles are interested in that I just find funny. You kind of pick and choose what makes an amalgamation of someone who's really trying hard to fit in, and really trying hard to be liked, and really hoping to make an impression on people."
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I thought [Instagram] was kind of a narcissistic culture. I was just being pompous about it.
Elizabeth Olsen
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Did this movie change the way you approach social media?
"It did! I had a judgment of that before, and I thought of Instagram as an image-based social media platform, and I thought it was kind of a narcissistic culture. I was just being pompous about it. And then, I had to use Instagram through Taylor’s eyes, and had to follow these influencers, and what I noticed is it's just a really interesting new form of business. And I didn't give it credit. Right now it's more effective marketing than buying an ad in a newspaper or in a magazine. And I realized that it's something that isn't going to go away. It's something that I can't deny anymore, and that I should probably engage with."
"It did! I had a judgment of that before, and I thought of Instagram as an image-based social media platform, and I thought it was kind of a narcissistic culture. I was just being pompous about it. And then, I had to use Instagram through Taylor’s eyes, and had to follow these influencers, and what I noticed is it's just a really interesting new form of business. And I didn't give it credit. Right now it's more effective marketing than buying an ad in a newspaper or in a magazine. And I realized that it's something that isn't going to go away. It's something that I can't deny anymore, and that I should probably engage with."
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Do you think women have a different relationship to social media platforms like Instagram than men do?
"I don't think so. I imagine that there are just as many men [posting] photos in their bathroom, trying to show off their abs or their workout videos as there are women taking pictures of themselves in bikinis. And then I know that my male friends really think about it a lot because they want to do something really clever. And that has its own pressures."
"I don't think so. I imagine that there are just as many men [posting] photos in their bathroom, trying to show off their abs or their workout videos as there are women taking pictures of themselves in bikinis. And then I know that my male friends really think about it a lot because they want to do something really clever. And that has its own pressures."
How do you think social media changed the relationship between celebrities and their fans?
"It creates a platform to be directly interactive. You can choose to be interactive or you can choose to share things, and it's the platform where people who really care about your work are following you. So, if you're going to share something on that, they feel like they have the first chance to get access to it, and I think that makes people happy and feel like they're getting something from a closer touch to someone.
"It creates a platform to be directly interactive. You can choose to be interactive or you can choose to share things, and it's the platform where people who really care about your work are following you. So, if you're going to share something on that, they feel like they have the first chance to get access to it, and I think that makes people happy and feel like they're getting something from a closer touch to someone.
"I don't feel very comfortable with the fan interactive part of this industry. I have a natural desire to protect myself, and not talk to strangers, and I'm not a very network-y kind of person. So it kind of goes against my natural nature of survival, but I'm trying to embrace it in my own life, and not take it as seriously as maybe I could in my head, and not treat it as preciously."
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I have a natural desire to protect myself, and not talk to strangers, and I'm not a very network-y kind of person.
Elizabeth Olsen
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Do you think you have anything in common with your character?
"The idea of having insecurities and trying to mask them — these are all people who are trying to navigate how to connect with others and how to be seen, and how to make true connections, and sometimes I guess quantity overtakes quality in Taylor Sloane's world. That's an issue she'll have to come to terms with in her own time."
"The idea of having insecurities and trying to mask them — these are all people who are trying to navigate how to connect with others and how to be seen, and how to make true connections, and sometimes I guess quantity overtakes quality in Taylor Sloane's world. That's an issue she'll have to come to terms with in her own time."
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What do you hope people take away from the movie?
"That we all are the same, and we all want to be noticed in some capacity. That's what the 'like' button is: someone acknowledging that they see you, and that everyone is unique in their own skin. Comparing yourself to someone else's life is never going to bring you joy, and being your own voice and being who you are, and enjoying that and exploring that is the true way to find happiness."
"That we all are the same, and we all want to be noticed in some capacity. That's what the 'like' button is: someone acknowledging that they see you, and that everyone is unique in their own skin. Comparing yourself to someone else's life is never going to bring you joy, and being your own voice and being who you are, and enjoying that and exploring that is the true way to find happiness."
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