Elizabeth Olsen Was Inspired by This Book While Filming Her New Sci-Fi Thriller "The Assessment "(Exclusive)
03/21/2025 03:53 PM
The actress previously co-authored two children's books with her musician husband Robbie Arnett
Elizabeth Olsen found inspiration for her role in The Assessment from a book that was based on a real-life group of people who believe aliens invented modern technology.
The new sci-fi thriller — which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024 — focuses on a couple, Mia (Olsen) and Aaryan (Himesh Patel), in the dystopian near future, as they endure a weeklong visit from an "assessor" named Virginia (Alicia Vikander), who puts them through a series of tests to determine whether they are fit to be parents.
Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE alongside her The Assessment costar Vikander, 36, for a PEOPLE in 10 segment, Olsen, 36, recalled how she read Michel Houellebecq's 2005 novel The Possibility of an Islandas inspiration during the film's production.
Set far into the future after humanity has been destroyed, the book features a cult that clones its members, the cult in the book resembles the real-world Raëlian movement, which is a group in France that believes that aliens invented modern technology and hope for immortality through cloning.
"I think his philosophy and the places he goes to in his own little, I don't know, sci-fi book ... it opened up a whole little avenue for me to kind of explore," she says, relating the book to the Fleur Fortuné-directed movie.
Magnus Jønck/Magnolia Pictures
Himesh Patel (left) and Elizabeth Olsen in The AssessmentOlsen is no stranger to the literary world. She and her husband Robbie Arnett wrote their debut children's book, Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective, back in 2022, and published a second installment in the series soon after.
The star also jokes to PEOPLE that she doesn't quite consider herself as an author because she served as "basically his editor" for the heartfelt story.
"I wrote a children's book with my husband, who is a far better writer than I am," she adds with a laugh.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
At the time of the first Hattie Harmony book's publication, the couple told PEOPLE that the story came from their own experiences with anxiety, and they shared that they wished they could have someone to guide them through it.
Arnett said at the time that he was "a very anxious kid, and my family moved around a lot."
"I never really felt rooted anywhere, and I had all sorts of fears. It's been helpful developing Hattie and really sitting with it and thinking about the kid in me," he told PEOPLE.
"It's so funny because I had this instinct where I was like, 'Oh, I don't know, how are we going to do this?' But honestly, our whole relationship is built on communication," Olsen added in 2022. "Obviously you'd hope that most relationships are, but it's very easy and enjoyable for us to problem solve."
Jon Kopaloff/WireImage
Robbie Arnett (left) and Elizabeth Olsen in January 2024According to Olsen, she and Arnett work extremely well together — and she revealed that when it comes to projects like The Assessment, she doesn't feel the need to "[separate] work and life and whatever" when it comes to her and her musician husband.
"To us, the thing we love most is talking about stories," says Olsen. "Talking about work is talking about why we do it, what's a good way to crack it."
"It's my favorite thing to talk about — I mean, one of my favorite things to talk about, with my husband. So I endlessly enjoy it," she adds.
The Assessment is in theaters now.
