Elizabeth Olsen nearly changed her name because of famous sisters

22 April 2021

Elizabeth Olsen considered changing her name so she wouldn't be associated with her famous sisters.

Elizabeth Olsen

The 32-year-old actress has revealed she contemplated going by the name Elizabeth Chase at the beginning of her career to distance herself from her siblings, twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

She told Glamour UK magazine: "I was 10 and I was curious about auditioning… and I realised very quickly it wasn’t for me because I was missing my sports teams, my dance class and all the extracurricular activities at school.

"But during that time, I thought ‘I don’t want to be associated with [Mary-Kate and Ashley]’, for some reason. I guess I understood what nepotism was like inherently as a 10-year-old.

"I don’t know if I knew the word, but there is some sort of association of not earning something that I think bothered me at a very young age.

"It had to do with my own insecurities, but I was 10. So I don’t know how much I processed, but I did think, ‘I’m going to be Elizabeth Chase [her middle name] when I become an actress.’ ”

Although the twins - who starred in the likes of 'Full House' and 'Two of a Kind' - stepped away from acting to launch fashion label The Row in 2006, they have had an influence on the 'WandaVision' star's own career on screen.

After recently revealing their advice was "No is a full sentence", Elizabeth said: "The word ‘No’ specifically was something that I remember my sisters isolating and it becoming really empowering.

“And for women, it’s a really empowering word. People say ‘Just say no to drugs’, but truly, you can just say no whenever the hell you want! It’s really a powerful thing.”

She noted the importance of "listening to [her] gut", and Elizabeth has been able to stand her ground over the years.

She added: "I always felt like I could say ‘No’ in any work situation – if someone was making me feel uncomfortable – and I just feel like that’s what we need. We don’t have to follow suit if it doesn’t feel right. We need to be listening to our gut."