Actress ELIZABETH OLSEN, star of Captain America: Civil War, SPENDS HER WEEKENDS in Hollywood …
Being an actress, I’m largely unemployed. I still try to work Monday to Friday, whether it’s reading a script, researching or gun training, which I’m doing at the moment. On Friday afternoon I start cooking dinner for my roommate. We’re basically like a very good, old married couple. She’s a vegetarian who doesn’t eat dairy so I’m limited, but I get creative. If I don’t understand the ratios, I will look up a recipe but otherwise I just make it up as I go. I put together a farro salad with pesto, roasted broccolini, carrots and squash and serve it with kale. It’s a fun, easy meal. I also like to make a Martha Stewart roast chicken, which my dad loves. I’m a big fan of cheddar, so I’ll snack on that in the kitchen when I cook. I like Italian and Spanish wines, and I’m really interested in Grenache and Grenache blends, so we inevitably open a bottle, but I don’t stay up late.
Saturday
I’m an early riser – I have a Saturday morning routine which involves making coffee and reading the New York Times and The Skimm for an hour. My house is very open – it’s a doughnut shape – and I have a lovely little breakfast nook. I live in the hills, with a little deck in my backyard, so I spend a lot of time out there.
I go on a really amazing hike that takes me quite a distance from my house but the views over the ocean as the sun is rising makes it worthwhile. If I can’t make it for one reason or another, at around 11am I do some sort of a workout, either sprint training at a
local park or kickboxing in the gym.
I meet up with friends for lunch afterwards somewhere in Venice. There’s a cool new restaurant called BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER on Abbott Kinney Boulevard we’ve been going to a lot recently – it’s a really nice space with a good vibe. I do most of my shopping when I’m out of town, but there’s a store in Silver Lake called MOHAWK GENERAL STORE (www.mohawkgeneralstore.com) that I like. If I have to buy clothes for an event, I go to MARNI (www.marni.com).
When it comes to dinner, I’m a creature of habit. I basically go to about three places and I don’t go out afterwards, or go to bars. I like staying at the
restaurant until late.
Sunday
I do a morning yoga class at RISING LOTUS in Sherman Oaks (www.risinglotusyoga.com), where I have been going for the past eight years. I set an intention for my week there every Sunday – I call it “yoga church” because it has a perfect balance between humour, spirituality and morality. I leave on Cloud Nine: it centres me and leaves me completely blissed out.
On Sunday afternoon I go grocery shopping. I like Erewhon, Gelson’s, Whole Foods Market and a speciality cheese shop called ARTISAN CHEESE GALLERY on Ventura Boulevard (www.artisancheesegallery-la.com). They have the most amazing goat and sheep’s feta that’s marinated in olive oil and peppercorns, and I pick up some gouda, bread and fennel sausage there too. When I entertain, I always make a cheese and charcuterie board and listen to 1940s jazz. There is a large island in the centre of my kitchen and my friends and I will generally gather there if we’re not outside.
I rent my place, and it came with an ancient projector, which makes every movie look super-green. On Sunday night, I’ll make an early dinner and watch something old, like The Way We Were, with my roommate to finish off the weekend.
In conversation with Sarah Breen.
Captain America: Civil War is out now.
This article appeared in a previous issue, for more features like this, don’t miss our June issue, out Thursday June 2.
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