Ever since 2016 when it was announced that Brie Larson would be Captain Marvel, the Oscar winner joined a long line of actresses playing kick-ass superheroes. As Larson has been donning her character’s armored costume since her solo film in 2019, it’s safe to say she has playing a superhero in Marvel movies down pat. The 34-year-old actress is also kind of a hero to newcomer Marvel actors, who Larson say “always” reaches out to her once they get hired for advice. Apparently her Captain Marvel costume is involved in her sage words to them too.
As Captain Marvel hit the $1 billion mark, fans, as well as upcoming Marvel actors, recognized what a powerhouse Larson is. This is demonstrated by her saying at THR’s Drama Emmy Actress Roundtable that new actors have “always” reached out to her when hired by Marvel for advice involving their superhero suits:
Always. I’m the first person to email everybody because it’s very specific and very strange. People are like, 'I don’t know how to do this.' Yeah, no one does. Why would you? I’ll say, 'Train, because you’ll want to be as prepared in your body as you possibly can because it only gets harder as the job goes on. And really understand how to be able to go to the bathroom in your suit.' The first Captain Marvel, it was a 45-minute thing to get me in and out of that costume.
Taking on the role of Carol Danvers wasn’t a decision Brie Larson made right away considering the weight a female-led superhero film would have on audiences. However, she knew if her Captain Marvel role could have meaning to young women watching, it was a film offer she couldn’t walk away from.
Training to play Captain Marvel required researching the character of the Air Force pilot through reading the Marvel comics and visiting service members to fully embody a pilot. And, of course, there was physical training, which included literally pushing a Jeep and her intense workouts of doing pull-ups while wearing chains. Aspiring superhero actors need to take notes!
How Brie Larson Has Helped Superhero Actors Before
It’s incredibly inspirational for a Marvel actress like Brie Larson to help incoming Marvel actors prepare for their new superhero roles. The Lessons in Chemistry actress is simply paying it forward after Scarlett Johansson reached out to Larson when she was cast as Carol Danvers.
As the two met while filming Avengers: Endgame, Johansson had been in the superhero game since 2010 with her Black Widow debut in Iron Man 2. As Larson said, it was fortunate for her to be welcomed to the team by Johansson and have her call her before her first day on Endgame. This act of kindness inspired the 21 Jump Street actress to do the same for her fellow Marvel actors.
Unlike her busybody Marvel superhero character, Brie Larson said she’ll always make time for any newbie Marvel actors looking for advice on playing a superhero. One actress in particular whom Larson sweetly helped was Ironheart’s Dominique Thorne, specifically with navigating going from “female human to superhuman.” Thorne may have had a strong MCU debut in Black Panther 2, but having an even larger role in the upcoming Disney+ series Ironheart means that Larson’s advice of getting into character is truly going to help her take on this upcoming project.
Brie Larson’s Experiences With Her Captain Marvel Costume
Captain Marvel’s signature costume involves an armored red-and-blue spandex suit with flexible material to make it easy enough for this superhero to kick ass. Not to mention, the sci-fi militarism look to the suit also shows that she means business.
The first time Brie Larson wore that famed costume, she got a little emotional. You can’t blame her considering she stepped into some big shoes being the first actress to play the Marvel superhero in live-action form. There’s no better way to show a role is set in stone than getting to don the superhero garbs. That said, I can also imagine how frustrating it can be to wear an outfit like that and have to go to the bathroom. Actors may play superheroes, but they’re still human beings underneath the suits who can’t ignore the call of nature.
Marvel actors know that when they need some sage advice on how to play a superhero for upcoming Marvel movies, Brie Larson is their go-to woman for training and bathroom tips. It looks like the MCU actress is a true hero on and off the screen, willing to offer a helping hand to actors taking on a superhero role like she did once upon a time.
You can see her as Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, The Marvels and more all on your Disney+ subscription.
