I Just Found Out Brie Larson Borrowed Her Stage Name From An American Girl Doll, And It’s The Most Millennial Thing I’ve Ever Heard

Plenty of celebrities opt to go by stage names in Hollywood. From Natalie Hershlag (Portman) to Olivia Cockburn (Wilde) there are plenty of stars who have reinvented themselves for the big screen, Brie Larson included. Only I just found out that in Captain Marvel’s case, the actress actually named herself after an American Girl doll. The millennial in me is absolutely tinkled pink right now.

Those of you who are of the appropriate age probably remember the OG set of American Girl dolls, which were at the time:

1. Very pricey and absolutely a status symbol. (OK not Millennium Falcon Lego expensive but still.)
2. Had awesome accessories.
3. Were all -- at the time -- historical American characters.
4. Had a whole compendium of books to match.

Of all toys millennial youngsters had growing up, having an American Girl doll was like hitting the jackpot, and they grew in diversity, time periods, and stories over time so more girls with different backgrounds could own dolls they identified with. They were wildly popular. Stores even cropped up in major metropolitan areas so you could have teatime with your dolls!

They were an integral part of the ‘90s growing up experience and given all the nostalgia for '90s movies and culture I can see how this would be a thing. Brie Larson, whose real name is Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers, so identified with Kirsten Larson that when she came to Hollywood she changed her name as a nod to the American Girl doll. (Though the less fun story is it’s also a name tied to her grandmother.)

She’s spoken about this prior, but I only found out thanks to a sweet interview with Brit.co in which she admitted she’s recently seen American Girl doll Halloween costumes making a comeback:

Honestly, the whole thing makes sense in context. Larson started out as a child actor in the nineties, precisely when she probably would have been obsessed with Kirsten Larson. She previously opened up on The Tonight Show about her French last name (Desaulniers), and said it was easy to mispronounce, so she wanted something that could roll off the tongue easily. Larson fit the bill, as she told Glamour.

This hits me not just on a millennial level but on a personal level because the Swedish immigrant doll who lived in Minnesota in the 1850s was the one I owned. (I was more of a Samantha, honestly, but you get what you get and you don’t get upset.) Kirsten was cool, though. Her hair was braided in two loops tied with ribbons on her head. She had a St Lucia outfit with an ivy crown on her head. Maybe her fits weren’t as cool as, say, Felicity, but she had chutzpah in spades.

So, I guess what I’m saying is I get why someone who started out their Hollywood career in some fake commercials for Roadkill Easy Bake Oven on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno would identify with the doll when they were picking out a stage name. I’d honestly be interested in knowing exactly when Brie Larson became Brie Larson, but I’m guessing it was quite a while ago, as it’s been her name as long as I’ve been familiar with the actress. (Which is around the time she joined the Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World cast.)

It honestly works so well, and I would never have guessed the origin story if I hadn’t seen the actress speaking about it in her own words. But if you see her credited in any upcoming Marvel movies, now you know, too.