Larson and Law Talk ‘Captain Marvel’ with Entertainment Weekly
Continuing their week long coverage of Captain Marvel, Entertainment Weekly has published new interviews with Brie Larson and Jude Law about their roles in the highly anticipated superhero event.
After last week’s long awaited first look, EW caught up with the stars of Marvel’s latest adventure to speak with them about their characters.
“I never saw myself doing something like this,” Larson said, confirming to EW that she didn’t immediately say yes when Marvel approached her several years ago. Ultimately it was Carol Danvers’ flaws that attracted her to the character. “You have this Kree part of her that’s unemotional, that is an amazing fighter and competitive. Then there’s this human part of her that is flawed but is also the thing that she ends up leading by. It’s the thing that gets her in trouble, but it’s also the thing that makes her great. And those two sides warring against each other is what makes her her.”
Indeed, it’s those flaws that drive Carol’s story throughout the movie, adding moments of introspection between the action and humor that audiences have come to expect from the Marvel universe.
“That is something that is really exciting to me about this film,” Larson shared with EW, “like, when it’s funny, it is funny, but also when there’s deep emotional things happening, it’s real. So I was able to bring some of those same things that I’ve brought to full dramatic roles into this, which I’m really proud of because I think it will really set this film apart.”
Captain Marvel opens with Carol already in space, on the Kree world of Hala. At this point in time she’s already part of Starforce, an elite military unit consisting of Carol Danvers, Minn-Erva (Gemma Chan), Korath (Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Djimon Hounsou returning to a time before he and Ronan became the terrorists we met previously) and Jude Law’s unnamed commander.
For his part, Law took less convincing than Larson.
“It just seemed like an interesting party to join in with at an interesting time in their ascendancy. That to me is an interesting playground to work in because suddenly you’ve got filmmakers who are looking at humor and script work and character, within an infrastructure that is obviously capable of creating enormous universes and world and special effects – while also not bogging down the creativity of the director.”
“He’s somebody we have admired for a long time and have wanted to find a role for in our movies,” Marvel Studio president Kevin Feige told EW, “and as fate works in your favor, his part in this is extraordinary. He really came to play.”
Before coming to play, Law was offered some insight into the process by his Sherlock co-star, Robert Downey Jr. “I don’t know that he ever gave me advice,” Law told EW, “but he obviously had a great time making these. He talked a little bit about how [making a Marvel movie is like] fitting this one piece into a bigger picture that someone else has got their eyes on, and giving yourself over to that. It’s not about trying to understand everything. Just do your piece.”
In terms of his character, Law’s commander doesn’t have the same flaws that Larson’s Carol Danvers does. “He is driven by a belief in the divine leadership of the Kree people. So he’s almost a devout warrior – unquestioning, conservative, but inspirational.”
Law’s Commander views Carol as both a protégé and a pet project.
“Those extraordinary powers she has, he sees them as something of a blessing and something that she has to learn how to control. That’s a motif throughout the piece, the element of learning to control one’s emotions and to use your powers wisely.”
For her part, Larson teased that the relationship between the two characters “creates a little bit of tension with the rest of Starforce”.
There’s a lot of work that goes into being a superhero. Even before the cameras start rolling it takes months of dedication and training to make sure you’re ready to do the role justice. “I was an introvert with asthma before this movie,” Larson joked with EW. “I really thought when they hired me, ‘I am the worst choice for an action movie.'”
Be that as it may, according to her co-stars, she more than pulled it off. “There are certain people that are made for this, and she’s definitely one of them,” Larson’s co-star Lashana Lynch, who plays Air Force pilot Maria Rambeau, told EW. Larson spent nine months prepping for the role, learning judo, boxing, wrestling, and even training with real Air Force pilots to learn how to fly an F-16. Samuel L. Jackson agreed, saying “It’s a lot of work to get ready for something like this, and she did all that. She’s got the talent and the skill to make it something that’s going to be very special.”
Check out the full interviews at EW and make sure you stay tuned to MNN for all the latest MCU news.
Chris is a lifelong fan of Disney, Star Wars and super heroes who can’t quite believe this golden age of movies and TV we’re living in. Having written blogs dedicated to Disney’s Aladdin musical and Star Wars Celebration, Chris is excited to be part of the MNN team.
