Washington [US], March 23 : Actor 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. 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, reported People.
Olsen recalled how she read Michel Houellebecq's 2005 novel 'The Possibility of an Island' as inspiration during the film's production.
The book, set in the future after humanity has been destroyed, involves a cult that clones its members. The cult parallels the real-world Raelian movement, which is a group in France that thinks aliens invented contemporary technology and hopes 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 said, as per the outlet.
Olsen 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 instalment in the series soon after.
"I wrote a children's book with my husband, who is a far better writer than I am," she added, as per the outlet.
At the time of the first Hattie Harmony book's publication, the couple shared 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, reported People.
The Assessment is in theaters now.
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