Brie Larson, star of the upcoming Captain Marvel, is committed to maintaining an inclusive press tour and taking a chance on a diverse pool of journalists with distinct voices.
Larson recently sat down with Marie Claire UK, specifically choosing Keah Brown to conduct the interview in the “biggest opportunity” Brown has ever had as a disabled journalist. Larson explained how she was determined to showcase a wider pool of inclusive voices in journalism and at press tours.
“About a year ago, I started paying attention to what my press days looked like and the critics reviewing movies, and noticed it appeared to be overwhelmingly white males. So, I spoke to Dr. Stacy Smith at the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, who put together a study to confirm that,” Larson says. “Moving forward, I decided to make sure my press days were more inclusive. After speaking with you, the film critic Valerie Complex, and a few other women of color, it sounded like across the board they weren’t getting the same opportunities as others. When I talked to the facilities that weren’t providing it, they all had different excuses.”
Come March, Larson, who has previously starred in films such as Trainwreck and Room, will suit up as Captain Marvel in the latest MCU film. Considering her role as the first lead female superhero in a standalone Marvel flick, Larson wants to ensure Hollywood is on track to expand visibility, and she is working hard to help change that.
“I want to go out of my way to connect the dots. It just took me using the power that I’ve been given now as Captain Marvel,” Larson says. “[The role] comes with all these privileges and powers that make me feel uncomfortable because I don’t really need them.”
Larson aims to use her celebrity to help advocate for what’s right. She says, “… It’s a byproduct of the profession and a sign of the times. But any uncomfortableness I feel is balanced by the knowledge that it gives me the ability to advocate for myself and others.”
“She refuses to give up on herself.” #MondayMotivation #CaptainMarvel pic.twitter.com/Cxz8huUd4F
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) February 11, 2019
Larson’s role as Captain Marvel teaches important lessons about strong, empowered warrior women.
During her interview with Marie Claire UK, she says, “It’s so interesting, as it’s not something I thought about until I was in the cinema watching Wonder Woman. About two minutes in, I was sobbing and thought, ‘Why am I crying so much over this?’ But it was seeing all of these warrior women who were so self-sufficient. That wasn’t something I identified with growing up — my hero was Indiana Jones. To have the chance to be one example of this is powerful and exciting.”
While we still have a way to go in terms of complete equality and diversity, this film is a drop in the bucket of inclusion and will deepen the conversation, Larson says.
Marvel’s latest behind-the-scenes clip, released on Twitter, is a nod to the fierce hero herself, as Larson explains what drew her to suit up as the hero. “She refuses to give up on herself and she refused to give up on humanity,” she says.
Captain Marvel opens in theaters, fittingly on International Women’s Day, March 8.
Photo: Marvel
