Brie Larson’s press tour for Captain Marvel has been solid. It’s the most interesting she’s been, and she has spoken astutely about what these kinds of big franchise roles mean when it comes to representation, as well as the cross-section of promotion and representation. She’s aiming to make sure this press tour is more inclusive than the average comic book movie junkets, something that has film bros pouting all over social media, and anything that makes film bros pout is A-OK in my book.
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Her commitment shows in her profiles, all of which have been conducted by women, the latest coming from The Hollywood Reporter’s Rebecca Keegan. It’s a solid profile, but Keegan does note that Larson has a tendency to repeat anecdotes, and indeed, if you have read and/or seen two or more of Larson’s interviews, you’ve probably heard about her gym routine to get in shape to play Carol Danvers, and how she pushed her trainer’s jeep up a hill. She put that video on Instagram, and honestly, this is sort of gym goals. I don’t necessarily want to push a jeep, but she just seems so…capable. My trainer has been asking me what I want from our sessions, and besides “for it to be over”, I think my answer is now “to be that capable”.
A training highlight - pushing Jason Walsh’s almost 5000lbs Jeep(with a full tank of gas and Alyssa behind the wheel for safety!)for 60 seconds. In Captain Marvel @nike Metcons! It’s a strong vibe but I like it. pic.twitter.com/f98n6so8TU
— Brie Larson (@brielarson) February 12, 2019
Because Larson does tend to re-share stories, there’s not a whole lot new to pick over here. If you’ve been following Captain Marvel as closely as I have, you’ve definitely heard this all before. If you haven’t, read this one profile and be 100% caught up. My main point of interest is actually Marvel chief Kevin Feige’s response to why it took so goddamn long for Marvel to prioritize stories featuring anyone other than a white dude. We were ten solid years into the MCU before Black Panther arrived. His response to “why did this take so long” to tell a woman’s story is: “We feel like [Captain Marvel] be the first of many. […] There were a lot of men in that initial run of Avengers.”
That is…not an answer. Yet Feige consistently gets away with not addressing Marvel’s first-decade priorities. I get it, he’s one of the most powerful dudes in the room. No one wants to jeopardize that access. But COME ON. This is not an answer to a perfectly understandable question. I suspect the answer has something to do with Marvel Entertainment CEO and friend of Trump Ike Perlmutter, but I low key can’t believe a smart dude like Kevin Feige hasn’t crafted a better to this than “the future is so bright you gotta wear shades”.
But back to Brie. I like the styling in the photoshoot. THR smartly themed their photos around the fact that part of the interview takes place in a dance studio. And those spangly star pants are cool. Also, this profile includes a little nugget that Larson’s directorial debut, Unicorn Store, will be on Netflix in April. Deliberate timing on Netflix’s part, no doubt, hoping to benefit from Larson’s recently-exploded popularity. Joanna reviewed Unicorn Store back at TIFF 2017, and I’ve been curious to see it ever since.
Brie has become one of my favorite young actors to watch. She’s been making such good, interesting decisions since she broke out with Room, and she has been, to quote Lainey and Duana, showing her work when it comes to her priorities and promoting more inclusion in the industry. I want Captain Marvel to be good for its own sake, but I also want to see it break Larson out in that worldwide superhero way, because I want to see what she does with that kind of juice. I have a feeling she would not squander the opportunities that come from worldwide stardom.
