“Wonder Woman” wasn’t the first woman-directed film to make a major mark on the box office — contrary to what the lead up to Patty Jenkins’ super hero pic’s release may have led some to believe. People seemed to forget about the huge success of women-helmed titles such as “Frozen,” “Twilight,” and “Pitch Perfect 2,” to name just a few. If the blockbuster failed, it would be cited as proof that women weren’t capable or ready to direct such high profile, big budget films, and that not enough people wanted to see female heroines. Jenkins’ record-breaking Gal Gadot-starrer illustrated — yet again — that women shouldn’t be underestimated on-screen or behind the camera. But the stakes never should have been so high. No one suggests there shouldn’t be any more films by or about men when one fails. Brie Larson is on the promo trail for “Captain Marvel,” and she’s refusing to play along with this seemingly never-ending, sexist cycle.
“There’s this sense of setting this thing up,” Larson tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I know it’s exciting and fun to be like, ‘Will it sink or will it float?’ ‘What’s going to happen?’ ‘Can women exist in the world?’ ‘We’re not sure yet!’ But women have been opening movies since the silent era,” she emphasized. “We have been part of every major art movement. People just push us away once the movement gains momentum and act like we were never really there.” Amen.
The Oscar-winning “Room” star was inspired by her experience watching “Wonder Woman” — and hopes “Captain Marvel” can offer audiences another empowering experience. “As a kid, I wanted to be an adventurer,” Larson recalls. “I wanted to be a smart-ass. I wanted to get my hands dirty. But it wasn’t until being in the theater seeing ‘Wonder Woman’ … I was like, ‘Why is this making me cry so much?’ I realized ’cause I hadn’t had that, and there was a kid in me that was like, ‘Oh, my God. I can do that?'”
“The very nature of [‘Captain Marvel’] means that I’m having conversations that I’d like to have about what it means to be a woman,” Larson says. “What strength looks like, the complexities of the female experience, female representation. It’s surprising and cool that my first giant movie I get to be having those kinds of conversations. But that’s also why I’ve waited and been particular about what jobs I do.”
Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, “Captain Marvel” hits theaters March 8.
Head over to The Hollywood Reporter to read about why weight-training for the role was a transformative both physically and emotionally for Larson, and how she gained confidence to speak more assertively with directors. Her feature directorial debut, “Unicorn Store,” begins streaming on Netflix April 5. The coming-of-age comedy centers on an aspiring artist who dreams of owning a unicorn.
