Elizabeth Olsen Joined Instagram for One Reason: Money

"I was only hurting my opportunities by not participating," the actress says

You can't knock Elizabeth Olsen's hustle.

To prepare for her role in the dark comedy Ingrid Goes West—in which the actress plays Taylor Sloane, a social media influencer—Olsen created a secret Instagram account in 2016. "Those first ones were a little bumpy," the film's director Matt Spicer tells The Los Angeles Times. "Like, food that doesn't quite look as appetizing as it should, or sunsets. Very obvious starter photos."

Olsen, who took her account public earlier this year, is the first to say she's "bad" at using the social media app. "I'm bad at the lighting. I'm bad at the framing. I'm bad at the editing," she says. "When I look at my food, it looks pretty. When I look at it on a phone, it looks not pretty."

If anyone has tips to share, Olsen is all ears. "There are so many times I've seen a picture and thought, 'Oh, God, how do they make those flower arrangements look so great all the time?'" the 28-year-old actress says. "Or, 'How expensive are those chairs I'm looking at on Pinterest? Did they find them at some place I've never heard of? How do you have that kind of eye?'"

How times change!

Just two years ago, Olsen told Fashion she was wary of social media. "I feel like that's how people control their image. My image, in my mind, is just to disappear. I just want people to see the work that I'm proud of. I feel like you let people touch you when you have Instagram or Twitter," she argued, "and I don't want to be touched all the time. I'm not going to do it—ever."

So, why the change of heart?

Olsen, who has amassed 607,000 followers, realized she'd been limiting financial opportunities. "It's so funny that people like to pretend that they're maybe or maybe not getting paid to post something. Financially, it's a brilliant opportunity. Like, I'd really love to be a brand ambassador. I'd love to do a campaign. I think sometimes working with brands or different cosmetic companies—that can help people recognize your face and then they go see your movies," the actress tells The Los Angeles Times. "I was only hurting my opportunities by not participating."

Now Olsen just needs to get on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram...the list goes on and on.