Elizabeth Olsen is a woman of considerable transparency. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the actress discussed what she learned by playing Taylor Sloane in Ingrid Goes West: that Instagram can make stars big money.
In the past, Olsen was vehemently against social media. Her new character, however, is a social media influencer. To prepare for the role, Olsen dove head-first into developing the character. Some actors commit to their role by learning accents, changing their hair, or altering their physical appearance. Olsen took on the struggles of Instagram's Clarendon and Moon filters and searched for the secrets to creating enticing food photos. To those ends, she launched a private Instagram account in 2016. "I’m bad at it,” she said to the Los Angeles Times. “I’m bad at the lighting. I’m bad at the framing. I’m bad at the editing. When I look at my food, it looks pretty. When I look at it on a phone, it looks not pretty.”
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However, now that the role is completed. She plans on publicly lingering around the platform for more a more profitable reason. “I decided to join because I realized I was only taking something away from myself,” she said.
“It’s so funny that people like to pretend that they’re maybe or maybe not getting paid to post something. Financially, it’s a brilliant opportunity," she continued to the the L.A. Times. "Like, I’d really love to be a brand ambassador. I’d love to do a campaign. I think sometimes working with brands or different cosmetic companies — that can help people recognize your face and then they go see your movies. I was only hurting my opportunities by not participating.”
For the average person, maintaining a presence on social media is a choice, albeit a fun one. You post a few aesthetically pleasing photos, hand out a few charitable “likes,” and carry on with our day. When you’re a celebrity, it’s an entirely different ballgame.
According to a story published by Forbes last year, Kim Kardashian can earn up to $300,000 per sponsored post on Instagram. While the likelihood of Olsen earning that much anytime soon is unlikely, we'll be looking out to see what her big dreams yield — with no fear of sponcon.