Brie Larson Says Answering Questions About Hollywood Pigeonholing Female Actresses Has Become "A Problem" For Her
Actress Brie Larson recently admitted that answering questions about Hollywood pigeonholing female actresses has become “a problem” for her.
In an interview with The Telegraph to promote her upcoming stage play Elektra, Larson was asked why she thinks some men are threatened by her casting as Captain Marvel.
Larson responded, “I don’t know. I… don’t pay attention.”
Writer Claire Allfree then detailed she asked if her not paying attention was “her way of dealing with the misogyny.”
Larson responded, “What I would like you to see is that by continuing this conversation, you are putting me in connection with something that is nothing to do with me.”
Allfree then shared she attempted to question Larson about the fact that fans see female superheroes as an aberration because Hollywood pigeonholes female actress.
Larson responded, “I don’t think there is a way for me to answer that without it becoming a problem for me.”
Allfree then detailed that Larson’s publicist intervened and the subject was changed.
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Larson’s comments appear to be in line with her response when she was asked about Johnny Depp’s film, Jeanne du Barry, opening the Cannes Film Festival in 2023.
As reported by Variety, Larson was asked by a member of the press, “[You’ve been] sort of outspoken and very vocal advocate for Time’s Up and MeToo, I’m curious how you feel about Johnny Depp’s film opening the festival and do you plan to see it?”
Larson replied, “You’re asking me that? I’m sorry I don’t understand the correlation or why me specifically.” The member of the media explained, “You were on the advisory council, celebrity advisory council for Time’s Up. I think the Johnny Depp case has been well played out in America and international media, there’s been some controversy about that film being chosen to open Cannes, so I’m just curious if you will see it and how you feel about it’s selection here.”
She answered, “You’ll see I guess if I see it. And I don’t know how I’ll feel about it if I do.”
At the time it was a huge shift for Larson given she had been outspoken on promoting feminism. Back in 2018 while accepting a Crystal Award she declared, “I don’t need a 40-year old white dude to tell me what didn’t work for him about A Wrinkle in Time. It wasn’t made for him. I want to know what that film meant to women in color, to biracial women, to teen women of color, to teens that are biracial.”
“And for the third time, I don’t hate white dudes,” she said. “These are just facts. These are not my feelings.” Larson went on to advocate for inclusion riders in film contracts.
Back in 2022, while she was promoting Captain Marvel, Larson told InStyle, “The movie was the biggest and best opportunity I could have ever asked for. It was, like, my superpower. This could be my form of activism: doing a film that can play all over the world and be in more places than I can be physically.”
As for what her activism was, she detailed it included inclusion riders, which mandates racial quotas for actors and production staff. Larson explained, “Inclusion has to be a choice; it’s not happening naturally. You really have to fight for it.”
In April 2019, Larson appeared at Tina Brown’s Women in the World conference in New York where she commented on the #MeToo movement, “I was so grateful. So grateful for the strength and continued to be grateful for that strength because it has created this tidal wave of conversation that I don’t feel like has stopped or will stop anytime soon.”
She added, “It across industry changed things. It certainly changed my industry. We still of course have a long way to go, but it without a doubt is the reason why we have this historic shift is because of the bravery of the men and women who came forward and spoke up about the abuse they were experiencing.”
She later indicated she would use any privilege she had to make the changes she wanted to see, “If I have any sort of privilege, I immediately want to spend it. Whatever that currency is, I’m spending it immediately. I’m not going to hold onto it and hope that I put it into some account and it makes more money. I want to spend it because we need the change now. And I’m really not afraid of falling on my face because I’ve done it my whole life. I’m just kind of like bring it.”
Larson was also part of the Time’s Up movement. She shared her support of the organization and its cause back in 2018.
She wrote, “Together we can end harassment, discrimination and abuse from the power imbalances we all face in the workplace.”
What do you make of Larson indicating that questions about feminism have become a problem for her? What about the fact that she does not want to answer them?
She should have just used her Oscar-winning power and insisted on having Carol Danvers Ms Marvel "body" and wearing the same costume and mask, and done a regimen and a series of workouts to be close to Frank Cho's Ms Marvel, that's all. Look at the success of Marvel Rivals, Disney has wasted 15 years hiding its heroines in costumes that aren't faithful to the comics, as well as drastically changing their personalities in the MCU. Brie Larson should do what was expected of her, Oscar winner? She should have physically transformed herself, she's playing a character but she's not living it.