BRIE LARSON: FLYIN WITH CAPTAIN MARV

SET SOMEWHERE AROUND

the mid90s, Captain Marvel is the first female-led superhero movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The adventure flick, currently running in UAE theatres, takes a look at a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Universe and follows the journey of an ex-us Air Force fighter pilot Carol Danvers (played by Brie Larson) as she transforms to become one of the MCU’S most powerful super heroes. While a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, Danvers finds herself and a small cadre of allies at the centre of the maelstrom.

Produced by Kevin Feige and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the film also stars Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn and Jude Law, among others. Excerpts from an interview with Brie Larson:

Tell us about joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

You feel the sense of gravitas that comes with being on a set like this because there’s an understanding that if this was just about spectacle and CGI you don’t need to hire me. You could hire anybody to do that. You’re hiring us because of who we are as artists, because of our minds, because of what it is that plagues us, and keeps us up at night and what drives us. That’s all the stuff that ultimately goes back into these films, because the car chases and the explosions are super fun. But, really, what sits with you and makes you think and makes you rewatch it are those interpersonal relationships and the conflicts between these characters.

I think that it’s going to be a super-fun ride, even if you’re not familiar with these films. But if you’ve watched all of these, if you’re committed to this journey, I think you’ll enjoy all of the little pieces that are the seeds of what’s to come.” Brie Larson

How was it playing Carol.

The thing about Carol is that she’s two halves – she’s Kree and she’s human. And the Kree are incredible warriors and hyper intellectuals. Then there’s this other part of her that’s human and that is the loving part of her, but it’s also the part that makes her kind of sassy and brash at times. It makes her emotional, aggressive and competitive. It’s all of the good and bad in that human side. It’s the flaw, and it’s the best thing about her. I think she’s incredibly relatable in that way because we both have two sides of our brain – the left and the right brain. We have the logical, and the emotional, and we have the war between the two of them. Which one is of most value? And which one we should bring to the table? So that internal struggle for her is what keeps the movie, and keeps playing her so interesting for me because I’m basically playing two characters at once, which will keep the movie constantly surprising.

Did you latch onto the conflict?

Yes, because with something like this you have to think about what the potential future holds, just as if I was doing a long run of a play performance. It has to be something that as you grow in your life and as your life continues to evolve that there is something in this that will continue to inspire and intrigue you. That’s why any good piece of art, any book, movie or painting that I’ve ever seen, I grow with. Each time you re-read a book you see it from a different perspective. So, the idea of going back to the basics of logic versus emotion will be a struggle within me for the rest of my life. So, I can continue to explore that forever.

Tell us a bit about the story.

It is interesting that we are going back to the 90s, especially now when we’re at this climax with Infinity War where everything is at this major crisis. But, now we’re going back to the very beginning and going back in time to where all of this began and seeing the origin of all of this. I think that it’s going to be a super-fun ride, even if you’re not familiar with these films. But if you’ve watched all of these, if you’re committed to this journey, I think you’ll enjoy all of the little pieces that are the seeds of what’s to come.

Do you think this was always the plan to give more weight to your character?

I don’t really understand how they do it. It’s just a magical group of people making this happen. But it seems like all of this was leading up to something in the same way that I feel like my entire lifetime of experience being a woman, along with all these other bizarre aspects of me are all coming through to come together to play this character right now at this period of time.

How was it working with Sam L. Jackson?

This is our third film together, and we just love each other and had the best time together. I can talk to him about anything. He’s a master class actor. I was thrilled when I found out that he was going to be on this film with me.

Does an outsider mentality