Brie Larson says doing empowering film 'Captain Marvel' is like 'my superpower'
Brie Larson is just weeks away from introducing the world to her iteration of "Captain Marvel," a game-changing superhero movie that is set to take the MCU by storm.
The Oscar winner spoke to Marvel author and editor Sana Amanat for the latest issues of InStyle.
The woman behind the hero, Carol Danvers, is really what resonates with Larson. Danvers, a former Air Force pilot, was reintroduced in the pages of Marvel comics some seven years ago.
“She didn’t apologize for herself,” Larson said of Danvers. “I felt like that was a really valuable trait, because she is incredibly flawed and makes a lot of mistakes … and has to ask to atone for them, and that is super valuable."
Aside from her character's journey, Larson said she was more than up to the task of using the film as a way to inspire millions.
"It was, like, my superpower. This could be my form of activism: doing a film that can play all over the world and be in more places than I can be physically," she said.
Larson sees the release of "Captain Marvel" and her role in the MCU (she's the galaxy's best chance against Thanos) much like the feeling she got when "Indiana Jones" came out years ago. She wondered why there wasn't a female version of Dr. Jones. Well, now we have Danvers.
“I couldn’t think of a female equivalent. There was Sigourney Weaver in 'Alien,' of course, but there wasn’t enough of that spectrum of confidence and sass and a little bit of a mess, just a mix of everything. Women weren’t allowed to do that," she said.
Larson also trained for nine months for the role.
"Breaking that boundary of what it means for a woman to be muscular and strong and own your body and use it as a tool, that felt meaningful,” she said.
"I do believe in my abilities, and I do value myself, and I do know that I’m strong, and I do know that I can do a lot of things that people don’t think I can do,” she added.
After "Marvel," Larson wants to continue that activism off-screen by fighting for gender parity. She wants women and men to be equals in the technical categories, including directors, writers and producers.
"Inclusion has to be a choice; it’s not happening naturally. You really have to fight for it,” she said.
She continued, "I don’t want to be successful surrounded by a bunch of people who look like me. That doesn’t feel like success at all."
"Captain Marvel" hits theaters on March 8.
ABC News and Marvel are both part of parent company Disney.
