The portrayal of Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel is undoubtedly Brie Larson’s most popular role, which also cemented her place in the MCU for good. In November, she’s returning to the big screen with The Marvels.
However, when it comes to her most transformative stint in Hollywood, no project comes close to the 2015 drama thriller Room.
The movie sees a woman and her young child experience freedom after being held captive for years in an enclosed space. The shackle-breaking watch was received very well by critics and ended up with four Academy Awards nominations. In a poetic way, the movie also liberated the actress to speak her mind more openly.
How Brie Larson Reacted After Being Asked to Wear Revealing Dresses for Auditions
Brie Larson delivered an outstanding performance as ‘Ma’ whose love proves to be the shining light for five-year-old Jack confined to a small space. As the plot progresses, Jack’s curiosity tests the mother’s resilience, and the two attempt to gain their freedom and face the unknowns of the real world.
The 33-year-old won Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in 2016. The honor established Larson as an elite actress and opened doors for plenty of high-profile opportunities for the Captain Marvel star.
It appears that it also helped Larson to express the issues that made her way to success in the industry thorny. In a backstage press room following the Oscar win, she said (via Insider):
“There were many times that I would go into auditions and the casting directors would say, ‘It’s really great, we love what you’re doing but we’d really love for you to come back in a jean miniskirt and high heels. There’s no reason for me to show up in a jean miniskirt and high heels other than the fact that you want to create this fantasy, that you can reject. I personally always rejected that moment, I tried maybe once and it always made me feel terrible.”
Through her portrayal of Captain Marvel, Larson has become the symbol of women empowerment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and there’s a good chance her experiences off camera also match her current stature. Still, at the same time, it’s important to highlight that in an ideal world, any actress should not have to wait until making it big to avoid sexist experiences.
What Samuel L. Jackson Said About Brie Larson After She Faced Sexism From Marvel Fans
Larson is now one of the biggest stars in the MCU. However, many fans weren’t always that accepting when the idea of the first female-fronted Marvel movie came to the fore. Captain Marvel (2019) was the butt of sexist jokes from internet trolls, who even took time to leave negative reviews for the Larson-led movie to make their point.
Samuel L. Jackson, who also starred in the movie as Nick Fury, shared his thoughts on the hate she received from online users, stating (via Rolling Stone):
“Brie’s a stronger person than people give her credit for. She’s not going to let any of that stuff destroy her. These incel dudes who hate strong women, or the fact that she’s a feminist who has an opinion and expressed it? Everybody wants people to be who they want them to be. She is who she is, and she’s genuinely that.”
However, it must be noted that those loud reactions were only from a few bad apples in comparison to millions of Marvel fans who queued up to buy tickets for the film. Captain Marvel was a remarkable success at the box office, grossing more than $1 billion globally.
Source: Insider, Rolling Stone
