Most actors would jump at the chance to lead a Marvel Studios blockbuster given the massive boost in visibility and status that it offers, but some of the franchise’s marquee names have shown initial resistance to signing the multi-picture contract on the table. Chris Evans famously turned down Captain America several times for fear of being typecast before eventually relenting, and now Brie Larson has revealed that she refused to even speak to Marvel three times when they contacted her team.
Given the backlash that’s surrounded her ever since she first accepted the role, there’s no doubt a certain section of the fanbase who would be happy if she hadn’t agreed to play Carol Danvers, but Larson’s influence in the MCU is only set to grow over the coming years, as Captain Marvel is widely expected to spearhead the next generation of cosmic adventures and lead the Avengers.
Before the 30 year-old signed on the dotted line, her only experience working in the realm of big budget studio epics was a forgettable supporting role in Kong: Skull Island, and Larson admitted she didn’t think she was ready or capable of headlining a $175 million superhero story.
“I remember getting a call 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, so tell them no’. And my team was like, ‘OK, for sure’. I think a couple months later, they called and were like, ‘They called again, are you sure?’. And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m too much of an introvert, that’s way too big of a thing for me’. It was beyond my comprehension. And then they called a third time and were like, ‘Are you sure?’. So, the point is, every time I was like, ‘Tell them no’, and thought my team was telling them no, they were not. Cause I think they were like, ‘She would be great at this’.”
Fans might still be launching petitions to have her removed from the role years later and her portrayal of Captain Marvel has been one of the most widely-criticized and highly-scrutinized aspects of the MCU by a minor subsection of trolls who can’t seem to bring themselves to accept the fact that she’s going to be a major part of the shared universe for a long time to come, but Larson seems happy that she finally relented and agreed to take what will no doubt be remembered as her career-defining role in the future.
