‘Eternity’ Star Elizabeth Olsen on Death and the Afterlife
At the premiere of Eternity, an A24 romantic dramedy featuring Elizabeth Olsen and Miles Teller, the theme of death was central. Olsen portrays a woman who has died and must choose where—and with whom—to spend eternity: her first husband, who died in the Korean War, or her second, to whom she was married for over 60 years.
Elizabeth Olsen’s Reflections on Death
Olsen shared that she has long imagined what it would be like to leave this world. “I’ve had this kind of plotted out from a very young age,” she said. “When I was in high school, I dreamt of being a very old lady on the coast of England, alone actually. I might have had an animal, and it would be like foggy and wet and kind of cold, and I would go on long walks."
She described the ideal setting as a small town with just one of each needed place: one bakery, one coffee shop, one fishmonger, one cheese shop, one community center, and one theater.
“It was always just me because I like meeting new people and I like being a part of a community, and I always imagined I would die alone.”
When asked about dying alone, Olsen laughed and admitted, “I don’t know what to do with that, but that was part of my dream.”
Miles Teller’s Perspective on Afterlife
Teller expressed hope to reunite with late friends and family members he never met, preferring to keep the afterlife simple and meaningful.
Summary
This film sparked personal reflections from its stars about mortality, loneliness, and the human desire for connection beyond life.
Author's Summary
Elizabeth Olsen and Miles Teller explore deeply personal views on death and the afterlife, reflecting on solitude, community, and reunion in the film Eternity.