Elizabeth Olsen has been making the rounds on the press circuit to promote her upcoming HBO Max limited series Love and Death about real-life axe murderer Candy Montgomery.
Heading to the Today show on Wednesday, the Oldboy star ensured all eyes were on her by wearing a sunshine yellow dress from Proenza Schouler’s Fall 2023 collection.
Elizabeth Olsen drops by the Today show in a sunshine yellow midi dress by Proenza Schouler to talk about her new series Love & Death on April 19, 2023 (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)
The spring-perfect crushed matte satin midi dress features a flattering A-line silhouette with a fitted waist accented with pintuck detail. It also has a stand collar with contrasting black buttons, long sleeves with buttoned cuffs, buttoned side slits, and concealed center-front button closure.
She layered a black blazer over her neon outfit and tied the look together with black pointed-toe pumps and Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses.
The In Secret star added a pop of red lipstick to her already bright look and wore her blonde hair in loose waves, care of her glam team makeup artist Gita Bass and hairstylist DJ Quintero.
Elizabeth Olsen pairs her springtime yellow dress with black pumps and Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)
During her interview, Robbie Arnett’s wife discussed her new project and shared an update on the status of Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Olsen headlines the HBO Max series Love and Death, in which she’s portraying killer Candy Montgomery.
She revealed to Today that John Bloom and Jim Atkinson’s Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs helped her adopt the mindset of a “cold” killer.
“It’s the only interviews with the woman, Candy Montgomery, actually participated in after her trial,” she said. “So it is really the only source that I have that gives me an understanding of who she is and how she was raised.”
“I don’t know, playing characters that make questionable decisions is something I actually enjoy,” she added.
On Scarlet Witch’s Future on MCU
The “Martha Marcy May Marlene” actress shared the future of Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe during her interview with Today, saying she has no contract with Marvel Studios.
“Yes, I hope so. I have no idea. When I say that, it’s not because I have a loaded answer. It’s because I say, ‘Yes, I hope so,’ and I mean it at face value,” Olsen responded when asked if fans will see more of Scarlet Witch.
She confirmed that she has “absolutely not” started filming and has not seen any scripts. “There’s no contract. There you go,” she answered directly.
Elizabeth Olsen gained widespread recognition for her role as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Credit: Marvel Studios)
Elizabeth Olsen gained widespread acclaim for her role as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in the MCU, appearing in films including Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), and in the miniseries WandaVision (2021).
Elizabeth Olsen reveals not having a contract with Marvel Studios (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)
What Is Love & Death Miniseries About?
Love & Death follows the story of homemaker Candy Montgomery (played by Elizabeth Olsen), who becomes a suspect in the gruesome murder of her neighbor and friend Betty Gore (played by Lily Rabe) after having an extramarital affair with the latter’s husband, Allan Gore (Jesse Plemons).
The upcoming true crime thriller is directed by Lesli Linka Glatter and written by David E. Kelly based on the chapter Love & Death in Silicon Prairie, Part I and II, from Jim Atkinson and John Bloom’s Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs.
“It’s the dark side of the American dream,” Glatter told EW of the series, which the film and TV director describes as an “American tragedy.”
“Here is a young woman who gets married at 20 years old, and she’s done everything right: She has the kids, she has the family, but she has a hole in her psyche that’s a mile wide, and she makes a very bad choice on how to fill it.”
She added that the series “looks at something that women, and I think men, went through as being products of their time; [they’re] not going to dialogue about what’s going on, but there’s a deep disconnect between the public and private person and the feeling of emptiness.”
Elizabeth Olsen plays axe murderer Candy Montgomery in the true crime miniseries Love & Death (Credit: HBO Max)
Olsen agrees, saying “It’s actually more about the emotional conflict of this woman and the time she is living and less about playing something demonic.”
The story “wasn’t leaning into this true-crime element, but [was] more about a profile of a woman with a set of really high-stakes circumstances,” she added.
The first three episodes of Love & Death’s will air on April 27 on HBO Max, followed by one new episode weekly thereafter through May 25.
Elizabeth Olsen plays opposite Patrick Fugit with Jesse Plemons and Lily Rabe in the HBO Max series Love and Death (Credit: HBO Max)
Is Love and Death Based on a True Story?
Love & Death is based on the true story of acquitted murderer Candy Montgomery who killed her neighbor and friend Betty Gore with a three-foot-long axe 41 times in alleged self-defense after Betty learned of Candy’s extramarital affair with her husband, Allan Gore.
Candy, a housewife, and Betty, a middle school teacher, became friends as they regularly attended the Methodist Church of Lucas. They later developed a close friendship, which led to Candy having an affair with Betty’s husband, Allan.
It was reported that Candy, who was married to electrical engineer Pat Montgomery at the time, made the first move. Betty grew suspicious of her husband’s infidelity and confronted Candy while Allan was away from home. Candy admitted to the affair, but said it had ended a long time ago.
HBO Max’s limited true-crime series Love & Death features Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery, a small-town housewife engaged in an affair with Jesse Plemons’ character Allan Gore, whose wife Betty Gore is later found murdered, leading to questioning of his involvement and the reveal of the ongoing affair (Credit: HBO Max)
That same evening, when Allan couldn’t reach his wife, he requested their neighbors to check on her, and they discovered Betty lifeless at their home.
Candy became the primary suspect. She admitted to the crime but pleaded guilty to acting in self-defense, claiming that she had defended herself after being attacked by Betty with the same axe.
The trial lasted only eight days, with a jury of nine women and three men finding Candy Montgomery not guilty in October 1980.
In 2022, Jessica Biel starred as Candy Montgomery in the American biographical crime drama miniseries Candy, also known as Candy: A Death in Texas, created by Nick Antosca and Robin Veith.
Also based on the real-life accused axe murderer of her neighbor Betty Gore (played by Melanie Lynskey) in 1980 Texas, it premiered on Hulu on May 9, 2022, with new episodes airing nightly until May 13.