So your character Zibby is a college student who's actually pretty mature for her age. How was the uni experience for you?

Oh, terrifying. I went to the same school from when I was 5 to 18, so going to a college was terrifying! I didn’t have a friend! Not anyone going to the particular part of NYU I was going to, and that was horrifying. I chose theatre, but I also came from a place where I liked film and I felt like I was going into this world where everyone knew so much more than me. I was almost embarrassed by not knowing as much as everyone else.

Liberal Arts has been kind of called a 'manic pixie dream girl' film of the Garden State variety, with Zibby as the manic pixie dream girl. Agree or disagree?

I've never heard of that, what is that? [after the term is explained] Oh, right! Well I didn’t, I thought of her as someone who hasn’t found the person she thinks she can connect with. It’s just too bad that the first person she feels that way about is the exact wrong thing she needs. I think it’s really sad. When she says it’s the saddest thing ever, it is – to feel like you know what you want someone to give you and you think you find that, but it ends up being the wrong person. It is sad.

You studied at NYU yourself – so have you graduated?

I haven’t, I’m a six-year undergrad student – I'm one of those! I am going to take my final two classes in January, so I’m almost there. I really enjoy being in school and that’s probably why I haven’t decided to stop going. I’ve never blown off a class before.
I can’t imagine being an actor and never having any interest in anything else besides how to act. I feel you should be hungry to learn everything in the world if you’re an actor.

We heard that people at NYU used to knock on your door just to have an excuse to check you out.

That happened a couple times. They would say, “We heard there was a party here.” Or they’d ask if someone lived there. And I knew everyone on the floor, and I’d be like “no…” It was really weird. I grew up with the same kids for the majority of my lives. Growing up in LA you’re jaded by what everybody else’s parents do, and you don’t really think about that as a sight to see. It was my first experience as that.

Was it weird being known as the “other” Olsen on campus?

Yeah, it was. I’d never had that experience at any other point in my life. To have that at 18, you kind of hope that people who are your contemporaries wouldn’t draw attention to it. That’s why I only lived in the dorms for one year.

Speaking of Olsens, are your family really supportive of your acting?

Incredibly supportive. It’s not like this thing I decided to do randomly. I made everybody go see three plays a year when I was 8 years old. I made my family sit through so much bad stuff! They’re used to that being my passion.

What was the worst show you were in?

Probably our version of Cats. I went to a theatre camp when I was younger where they wouldn’t buy the actual rights to musicals, so they’d change all the titles. So instead of Cats, it was Valley Kats, with a 'K'. That was horrific.

Liberal Arts is out on 5 October in UK cinemas.

Words: Zing Tsjeng

The post LIBERAL ARTS: Elizabeth Olsen talks college stalkers and manic pixie dream girls appeared first on Wonderland.

How did you hit on the idea for Liberal Arts and setting it in Kenyon, your old college?

I went back to Kenyon to show my first film two summers ago. I was surrounded by all these 19 year olds and it was the first time I’d felt old! I told my producer about it and said I realised that if I fell in love with a student there, it would be borderline inappropriate. He said, “That’s a great movie.”

Are you a lot like Jesse, the protagonist? He can’t move on from his uni days, which seems to be partially why he falls for a student there.

In some ways, he’s me at 27, when I hadn’t quite gotten over the college experience. After Kenyon, I went right into grad school, so when I got out I felt I’d been kicked out of paradise. I was still wanted a little to crawl back into the womb of the meal plan, just think about ideas all day long and read books and drink. For many years I would think about college and have this sharp pang of sadness about not being there. I put that into this 35-year-old character.

If you could sum up Liberal Arts in five words, what would it be?

It’s a movie about love, change, books and ageing. It’s about growing up.

So what were you like in college?

When I was in high school, I was very focused on getting good grades. I kind of loosened up on the GPA obsession when I was in college. And what’s true in Liberal Arts is my excitement about the Romantics – I studied with one of the world’s leading Keats scholars, Ron Sharp, and I would never miss a class. It felt like a borderline spiritual experience to be spending time with these poems.

So far, you’ve written, directed and acted in both of your films. Is that becoming a habit?

I’m trying not to act anymore! With Liberal Arts, I came close to losing my mind a few days because I was in basically the whole thing.

What was it like acting next to Elizabeth Olsen?

A great pleasure. She’s the rare young actor who’s not overhyped – she’s just really special. She obviously has to do photoshoots and red carpets, but I don’t think that’s where the true enjoyment lies for her – she likes playing characters. She’s in it for the right reasons.

How did it feel bringing Liberal Arts to Sundance London?

London feels like a good city for the movie. It feels like it’s a place that values literature. Liberal Arts is really about books. It’s about a love of books. You can enjoy the film without being a big reader but if you love reading, you’ll enjoy it a lot more.

What’s next for you?

How I Met Your Mother’s got one more season for sure, then I don’t know if we’re going to go beyond that. I’d like to get back on the stage as an actor and do some theatre again, which is where I feel the most comfortable. I’m writing a new movie and hopefully I’ll find a way to keep myself out of it.

Liberal Arts will be in commercial cinemas from October 5th
Words: Zing Tsjeng

The post JOSH RADNOR – Liberal Arts appeared first on Wonderland.