Elizabeth Olsen, like Tom Hiddleston, could not have been better cast in I Saw the Light. Just as Hiddleston lives and breathes Hank Williams in the big screen biopic, so too does Olsen as Williams’ second wife (and most influential partner), Audrey.
It was Audrey that helped Hank manage his finances and more. As Olsen told us in our exclusive video interview, Williams was much more than a woman who raised his kids and kept his house in order. Audrey managed his tour finances and even kept records of every artist that covered one of Hank’s songs, so that royalties that should be paid, were paid.
That aspect of Audrey comes through in vibrant colors in I Saw the Light, but it was only after Olsen visited the Country Music Hall of Fame that she discovered these things about the woman she was charged with bringing to life.
Olsen tells us about that priceless research and some other fascinating aspects of Audrey’s life that she discovered that informed her portrayal of the woman who helped Hank Williams become and remain one of the biggest forces in popular culture.
Audrey Williams was a real trend-setter and a woman who was way ahead of her time. And thanks to Olsen, that truly comes through on every frame of film she inhabits.
I Saw the Light is in theaters now in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville. Look for it to expand nationwide on April 1.