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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a constantly growing place, with new heroes being adapted in the process. Each time one of those iconic characters is brought to life in live-action, there's a huge focus on which actor got the role. Brie Larson has appeared as Captain Marvel in two installments of the shared universe thus far, but it turns out that Oscar winning actress originally wanted to turn the gig down.
Brie Larson's star power has been steadily growing over the years, in no short part due to her appearance as Carol Danvers in the MCU. Larson made her debut in the origin story Captain Marvel, although the actress has revealed she previously auditioned for other movies in the shared universe. While it's hard to imagine anyone else playing the mega-powerful hero, she recently explained why she originally wanted to pass. And it partly had to do with her role in Kong: Skull Island. She said,
I remember getting a call when I was shooting Kong. And I remember they called and they said, 'Marvel is interested in you playing Captain Marvel.’ And I was like, 'Oh I can't do that, I have too much anxiety. That's too much for me, I don't think I can handle that,' and I was like, 'So tell them no.' And my team was like, 'Okay for sure.' I think a couple months later they were like, 'Hey [Marvel] called again, are you sure?' and I was like, 'Yeah, I'm too much of an introvert. That’s way too much of a think for me.’ It was beyond my comprehension. Like, no.
Playing the title character of a superhero franchise is a ton of pressure, and it looks like Brie Larson was originally feeling the heat when she got he call about playing Carol Danvers. Obviously we all know how this ultimately turned out, and it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role at this point. Larson simply goes higher, further, faster.
Brie Larson shared this story over on her personal YouTube, which the actress has been very active on while spending more time in isolation amid global health concerns. In addition to highlighting her interest gaming, the 30 year-old actress has also been sharing some stories about the countless auditions she's gone on throughout the years. Or in this case, how she nearly took herself out of the running on Captain Marvel.
Marvel fans can re-watch Brie Larson's tenure in the MCU on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
It seems wild knowing what we know, but Brie Larson truly had some reservations when it came to finally joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Because while she'd previously auditioned for roles in Iron Man 2 and Thor, playing the title character in Captain Marvel was another beast altogether. Later in the same video, she went on to explain how filming Kong: Skull Island affected her original response to the gig. As she put it,
I have a problem with when I’m filming and when it’s always been like this, it’s part of why I was broke all the time was because I couldn’t multitask. If I’m on a job and I’m playing a character I can’t self-tape. I can’t do anything else. I can only do one job at a time. I’m embodying this character I can’t think about something else. So they were like let’s just wait until this is over.
Kong: Skull Island was a massive blockbuster in its own right, so it makes sense that the idea of landing such a huge job at Marvel might have been daunting for Brie Larson at the time. But she eventually came around, and has a bright future in the MCU. Fans are eager to see how her character changes and crows in Captain Marvel 2, and if any iconic characters join her for the highly anticipated sequel.
In the end, Captain Marvel gave the title character a fitting backstory, while also seemingly setting up future conflicts with the Kree. The character also appeared in Avengers: Endgame, saving Iron Man and doing battle with Thanos himself. While The Russo Brothers had to be purposeful with how they utilized such a powerful hero, the crossover moments were exciting.
Captain Marvel 2 is currently expected to arrive in theaters in July of 2022, with Nia DaCosta attached to direct. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.
