The new HBO Max series Love & Death is based on the tragic true story of accused (but acquitted) axe murderer Candy Montgomery. Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Candy in the limited series, said during a live-streamed discussion that took place as part of the 2023 South by Southwest programming that although her character eventually commits a murder, she was drawn to the role because Candy's merely an average person dealing with an extraordinarily difficult situation.

Written by David E. Kelley, according to the show's logline, the seven-episode limited series Love & Death "tells the true story of Candy and Pat Montgomery and Betty and Allan Gore – two churchgoing couples enjoying their smalltown Texas life… until an extramarital affair leads somebody to pick up an axe." Olsen is set to lead the cast alongside Jesse Plemons, who plays the middle school teacher that she has an affair with, Allan.

During a discussion in the SXSW Studio that was live-streamed on YouTube on March 11, Olsen opened up about her feelings on the role. When the SXSW moderator asked Olsen how she viewed Candy, and if she judged the Texas housewife and her actions, Olsen said that "she would never judge a character" she is playing, and added:

You think of the circumstances that led people to that point. You think of their upbringing. You think of their dreams and their wishes and the resources that they have at the moment these things occur which seem pretty absurd. I think the reason why this show was particularly interesting to me is that it's a true story, and tonally, it's small-town people dealing with larger-than-life, absurd circumstances. To me, that makes for interesting storytelling, and so that was really my focus, not so much judgment of a person's actions... Also, what good does it do a society to just judge people's actions without trying to understand the rest? So, no, I never go in with judgment but with lots of empathy. She was a real dreamer, a real optimist.

When it came to preparing to get into Candy's headspace, Olsen said that she didn't look to other interpretations of the character. Instead, she found the letters, images, and facts of the case to be more valuable, especially Candy's account in the book Evidence of Love. "[Candy] didn't participate in anything besides the book, so that was my resource," Olsen said. "I didn't have audio to go off of, so you make decisions based on the location, the background, and the time, as you would for any character, but it's nice to have something to start with... instead of making it all up."

Related: Elizabeth Olsen's Best Indie Movies, Ranked

Director Says Love & Death Is a 'Texas Story'

Love & Death HBO is a Texas Story
HBO

Love & Death was an official selection at this year's SXSW festival, with the show's March 11 premiere taking place as part of the festival at Austin’s Paramount Theatre. The premiere served as homecoming and reunion for the cast and crew of the limited series filmed in Texas.

"This is the perfect place to show our show for the very first time," director Lesli Linka Glatter said before a screening of the premiere, according to Variety. "We made it here. It is a Texas story. I am a Texas human. To tell a story that is set here, shot here, I see so much of our Austin cast and crew here…. For me, this is about a Texas town and the characters. I fell in love with all of them. But there is also a deep hole inside of those characters."

Love & Death debuts with three episodes on Thursday, April 27, followed by one episode weekly through May 25.