Brie Larson on playing the flawed but empowering Captain Marvel

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

At long last, we finally got our first official look at Brie Larson as Captain Marvel this morning, and the actress spoke further with Entertainment Weekly to elaborate on what it took to play Carol Danvers, the part-Kree, part-human warrior. As we learned, CAPTAIN MARVEL will open with Carol having left Earth behind as she joins Starforce, an elite Kree military team led by Mar-Vell / Walter Lawson (Jude Law), but when the Skrulls, led by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), plot an invasion of Earth, Carol finds herself returning with new questions about her past.

Signing up for the Marvel Cinematic Universe is no small thing, and Brie Larson told EW that when Marvel first approached her about taking on the role, she didn't immediately say yes. "I never saw myself doing something like this, mostly because I like being anonymous," Larson said. "I like disappearing into characters, and I always felt like if I was out in the public eye too much, it potentially limits you in the future." The actress was ultimately won over by realizing what a treat it would be to bring a character who is empowering, but also flawed, to life.

You have this Kree part of her that’s unemotional, that is an amazing fighter and competitive. Then there’s this human part of her that is flawed but is also the thing that she ends up leading by. It’s the thing that gets her in trouble, but it’s also the thing that makes her great. And those two sides warring against each other is what makes her her… Just seeing a character who says how she feels and says what’s on her mind and doesn’t let people stand in her way is incredibly empowering.

Samuel L. Jackson, who will be reprising his role of Nick Fury through the magic of digital de-aging, praised Brie Larson's work on the film, saying that she "has a sense of determination that fits this character very well. It’s a lot of work to get ready for something like this, and she did all that. She’s got the talent and the skill to make it something that’s going to be very special." CAPTAIN MARVEL co-director Anna Boden added that Carol Danver's is not a perfect superhero, "but what makes her special is just how human she is. She’s funny, but doesn’t always tell good jokes. And she can be headstrong and reckless and doesn’t always make the perfect decisions for herself. But at her core, she has so much heart and so much humanity — and all of its messiness."

CAPTAIN MARVEL is set for a March 8, 2019 release.