During a scene being shot for the upcoming Marvel Studios film “Captain Marvel” last spring, it appeared that Carol Danvers, as embodied by actress Brie Larson, had not yet emerged as the full-fledged superhero she’ll become, but it’s clear that she’s a determined, confident women of action nonetheless.
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The mysterious sequence ComicBook.com witnessed offered little by way of context: Larson’s Danvers was aboard a spacecraft, clad in that intriguing teal-and-black variation of her superhero costume, surrounded by the similarly garbed members of the Starguard, including Korath (Djimon Hounsou), Minn-Erva (Gemma Chan) and the enigmatic character portrayed by Jude Law whose identity is still the source of much conjecture. They’re conducting a mission in which Carol reminds them they were instructed to “bring the heat.” Clearly something Carol’s done has rankled a few of her teammates, but she seems wholly unconcerned.
“I think she has an ego, but in a healthy way,” Larson told reporters on her take on Carol’s confidence. “She doesn’t have an unrealistic expectation of herself – she just owns that she’s really good and really skilled, which feels good to play. She also has an incredible sense of humor, makes fun of herself, makes fun of other people and has no issue if someone makes fun of her.”
There’s a richness and complexity to Carol Danvers that Larson admires; she calls the role “probably the most dynamic character that I’ve ever played. We’ll see what the movie is, but as of now it’s been the most range I’ve ever played in a character. I’ve had to go through every emotion possible with her…That’s what I want: I want to see complicated female characters. I want to see myself, which is not a simple person. I surprise myself constantly by what’s happening and what’s coming up, so hopefully that’s what comes out on screen.”
Larson, an accomplished actress who claimed just about every major acting trophy – including the Academy Award – for her performance in “Room,” admitted that Captain Marvel had proven just as challenging to her as a performer, in a multitude of ways. “The general answer is just getting through a movie like this is a real challenge of everything, of mind, body, and spirit, because it’s a long one. And because I added in the physical side to it, it’s like doing a triathlon or something!”
“There are some days where I’m doing a fight sequence for three days, and then at the end of the third day, after I’ve been punching and kicking, it’s like, ‘Okay, now we’re gonna do this one piece where you’re crying, and it’s emotional,’ and you’re like, ‘Whoa!’” she laughed. “It moves so fast, and there’s so much that at a certain point you have to sort of trust your instincts.”
The actress also revealed that consulting with comic book writer Kelly Sue DeConnick, known for writing the definitive contemporary take of Carol Danvers, was incredibly crucial to her preparation.
“I have to admit that talking with her was so surreal,” Larson said. “I feel like I just blacked out. I felt really nervous, because it’s this thing that, this woman that she created, that I feel very certain she knows way better than I do. I just was so honored to receive her blessing, and to see how excited she was, and that felt like a relief to me. Because she pushed this forward, you know? We wouldn’t be here without her, really. And I’m so grateful for that character that she created, and now we’re just kind of following the breadcrumb trail that she made.”
Captain Marvel follows Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Captain Marvel stars Academy Award® winner Brie Larson (Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou (Korath), Lee Pace (Ronan), Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan (Minn-Erva), Algenis Perez Soto, Rune Temte, McKenna Grace, Kenneth Mitchell (Joseph Danvers), with Clark Gregg (Phil Coulson), and Jude Law (Marv-Vell).
Captain Marvel launches on March 8, 2019, while Avengers 4 hits on May 3, 2019, followed by Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5, 2019.
