Why Brie Larson Was Reluctant to Become Captain Marvel
Brie Larson has addressed why she was initially hesitant to take on the role of Carol Danvers in the upcoming Captain Marvel.
Although Larson won’t make her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut until next year in Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s film, she beat rumored competition like Emily Blunt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Chastain to secure the role in 2016.
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Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, the Oscar winner confessed, “I never saw myself doing something like this, mostly because I like being anonymous.” It was apparently the pressure of a role as big as Danvers that led to several months of uncertainty about whether Larson would accept the part.
Known for movies like Room, The Spectacular Now and Short Term 12, Larson has recently taken on more mainstream roles like Kong: Skull Island. Speaking about her career, she continued, “I like disappearing into characters, and I always felt like if I was out in the public eye too much, it potentially limits you in the future.”
In the end, the opportunity to play such an important comic book character and the potential of Captain Marvel’s first live-action outing was just too temping for Larson. “Just seeing a character who says how she feels and says what’s on her mind and doesn’t let people stand in her way is incredibly empowering,” she admitted. As for the moments she got to put on Captain Marvel’s costume, Larson’s first thought was apparently, “Whoa, am I going to be a character at Disneyland?”
RELATED: First Captain Marvel Plot Details Tease Carol Danvers’ Origin
Just like the casting of Iron Man, Thor, Doctor Strange or any of the other Marvel favorites, finding the right actress to play Captain Marvel was an important decision for studio bosses to get right. Although it was a closely fought contest between some huge Hollywood names, Larson was one of those linked to the role from the early days.
There is a lot of pressure on any actor in something as big as the MCU, but Larson has more than most as Danvers is already tipped to be the new face of the franchise in Phase Four. With Captain Marvel known as a powerhouse — and the franchise shifting focus toward the women of the MCU — expect to see plenty more of Larson after the events of Avengers 4.
Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck from a script they wrote with Liz Flahive, Carly Mensch, Meg LeFauve, Nicole Perlman and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Captain Marvel stars Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Jude Law as Mar-Vell, Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson, Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser, Djimon Hounsou as Korath the Pursuer, Gemma Chan as Minn-Erva, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos and Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau. The film arrives March 8, 2019.
