Brie Larson doesn’t seem like an actress who is afraid to do her own stunts based on the rigorous training she often displays on social media. However, there is one challenging point of filming The Marvels that apparently required her to use a stunt double for an unusual reason that has nothing to do with flying on stunt wires, punching through brick walls, or doing backflips.
Fans of Captain Marvel may remember Goose, the Flerken alien disguised as an orange cat who is responsible for scarring the eye of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury. It turns out, Goose also has an adverse effect on Larson, since the actress is allergic to cats. Because of this, the scenes where Carol Danvers is in the orbit of Goose actually utilize one of Larson’s stunt doubles in the movie.
If that weren’t strange enough, sometimes the animal trainers themselves would stand in for the cat in a manner that would probably be perfect for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Green Man mascot. As animal trainer Jo Vaughan explained to Total Film magazine:
“We would have one of us standing in a [green or blue] suit while doing the action with the cat. We had a three-month training period […] read through the script, and marked down all the actions that the cat needed to do. These cats go onto set knowing everything that they’re going to do. When we come to shoot, we break it down day-by-day. The day before we will prep what we’re going to do the next day so it’s fresh in their mind.”
Two different cats, Nemo and Tango, portray Goose in the movie. And if you’re a fan of orange tabbies, those aren’t the only ones you’ll see in the film. You see, a litter of Flerken babies, played by 10 kittens, will also make an appearance.
As someone who is allergic to cats myself, I can certainly empathize with Larson’s situation. After all, you can’t truly come across like one of the most powerful super-beings in the universe, if not the most powerful, if you’re constantly sniffling and sneezing in every scene.
The Marvels, which also stars Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris as Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau, respectively, comes to theaters on November 10.
