The world press conference for Marvel and Disney+’s WandaVision happened this weekend, and getting to see the cast and creators talk about the show made me that much more excited about what was to come for Wanda Maximoff! Director Matt Shakman, producer Kevin Feige, and writer Jac Shaeffer joined Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Teyonah Parris, and Kathryn Hahn in a panel hosted by sitcom legend Jaleel White! It was a beautiful look into the making of the show as well as the fun aspects of getting to bring Wanda, Vision, Monica Rambeau, and Agnes to life.
One of the most fascinating parts of the press conference, for me, was the cast talking about the work they did for the different styles of sitcoms they’re tackling. It’s one thing to deal with period sexism that comes with the 1960s and beyond, but exploring how the world functioned in sitcoms is an entirely different beast.
The show is Wanda exploring life with Vision through these sitcom staples, so it isn’t really how life existed during that time period but how, instead, these shows sold us love and happiness.
I really enjoyed what Elizabeth Olsen had to say about the way her physicality would change throughout the shows, because the fact is female roles have been ever-evolving and looking at them through the lens of the sitcom means watching how women (particularly mothers) have changed throughout the decades onscreen:
The way women move throughout the decades changes so much when it comes to what society wants from them. Jac did write in quite a few nods to how those were evolving, throughout the sixties, she gets to wear some pants which would adjust how someone moves through space…manners were a huge a part of every decade. We would get this book that depicted manners at the time.
I, for one, have been very excited about WandaVision because I think Wanda deserves her time. In the comics world, she’s one of the most important and powerful heroes, and I don’t feel as if the Marvel Cinematic Universe has capitalized on that in the way I wish it would. Exploring her in this way, by tackling her trauma and her understanding of her powers through sitcoms, is just a creative and inventive way of looking at Wanda.
The press conference went on to talk about everyone’s own connections to sitcoms and how Olsen, herself, comes from a sitcom family (even if Feige literally had to look at the Olsen twins in Full House to remember), as well as Feige’s own connections to the world of the sitcom. But those connections don’t hurt the show. If anything, it makes it that much more exciting.
I love Elizabeth Olsen, and I appreciate her work because she holds her own completely separate from the Olsen name. She’s a powerhouse, and getting to see her really explore Wanda through these fun tactics is going to be exciting. Two episodes of WandaVision premiere this Friday, and it’s definitely going to bring me some much-needed joy in 2021.
(quote transcription via ComicBook.com, image: Marvel Entertainment)
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