Brie Larson shares Wonder Woman was her inspiration pre-Captain Marvel

Brie Larson revealed her inspirations for Captain Marvel in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. And from the looks of it, she’s also learning a lot from her character as she goes along.

We tend to think of actors these days as being synonymous with the heroes they play. Robert Downey Jr.’s confident and suave-natured attitude is matched with his onscreen counterpart, Tony Stark. Chris Evans is about as patriotic as Captain America when it comes to defending his country, and Chadwick Boseman — much like his character, T’Challa — honestly carries himself like a king.

But for Brie Larson, Captain Marvel wasn’t so much a part of her DNA when she first accepted the role compared to where she is now.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she described herself as an introvert and wasn’t even sure if Captain Marvel was a role she wanted to take on in the first place. But, as we know now, she made the choice to take on the role and is leading her career to new heights because of it.

In Larson’s latest interview, we learned a few new things about the actress — including a favorite snack that she often carries with her — and we have all that and more highlighted below.

Larson was emotionally moved after she saw Wonder Woman

Captain Marvel may be getting a lot of attention being the first solo film for a female hero in the MCU. But Captain Marvel definitely isn’t the first lead female superhero in cinematic history. Of those heroic female superheroes is, of course, Wonder Woman, who had a blockbuster movie of her own in 2017.

In the interview, Larson recalled seeing the movie and actually being driven to tears when she saw it, recalling:

"As a kid, I wanted to be an adventurer… I wanted to be a smart-ass. I wanted to get my hands dirty. But it wasn’t until being in the theater seeing Wonder Woman … I was like, ‘Why is this making me cry so much?’ I realized ’cause I hadn’t had that, and there was a kid in me that was like, ‘Oh, my God. I can do that?’"

While Larson didn’t directly attribute Gal Gadot’s portrayal of Wonder Woman as her inspiration for playing Captain Marvel, it does seem like she had a bit of a lightbulb moment when she saw the movie. Whether it’s for herself or for her character, there’s a lot to be learned from Wonder Woman’s fierce determination.

It’s likely that we’ll see some parallels between the two heroes when the movie comes out. Because, much like Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel already seems to have a can-do attitude, and will take absolutely nothing from men who tell her what she can’t do.

Photo Credit: The Hollywood Reporter

She supports the Time’s Up movement, and she’s earning her due

While money isn’t the center of everything and people should be remembered for their work and not their bank account, there’s still something to be said about earning what’s yours. And Larson is earning her fair pay.

THR reports Larson will get $5 million for her first-appearance role in the film franchise, which is significantly higher than the starting days in the MCU. Robert Downey Jr. made a fraction of that when he first played Iron Man, earning $500,000. In comparison, Chadwick Boseman’s first film appearance earned him $2 million.

As Jessie J put it, “It’s not about the money.” But women, in particular, have taken a lot of hits historically when it comes to equal pay. It seems fitting then that Larson, who advocates for equal pay and workplace equality, is earning fair pay. And while the fight for women’s equality is a tough one, Larson is optimistic that the Time’s Up movement is working.

Her critics are everywhere, but she can handle them

We’ve seen by now that Brie Larson and the Captain Marvel movie have gotten their share of flack online, as some grappled with the idea of having a lead female superhero. That criticism, unfortunately, comes with changing the status quo, but she didn’t just deal with those obstacles online… she dealt with it at the gym, too.

According to THR, there were moments at the gym when men would comment on her workout, doubting what she could do. Despite the criticism, her responses honestly deserve a standing ovation. Take this exchange, for example, where she totally shut one nay-sayer down:

"This guy watched me lift something really heavy, and he went, ‘Wow, I can’t even lift that!’ As if he were the epitome of health… I said, ‘Yeah, I guess you’re going to have to rethink your gender norms.’"

As we’ve seen on social media (see: Brie Larson moves a Jeep), Larson is totally worthy of being on Dwayne Johnson’s Titan Games at this point. And any person who doubts her is only making a fool of themselves.

Photo Credit: The Hollywood Reporter

She’s got marinara-sauce-in-her-bag swag

Move over Beyoncé, because hot sauce isn’t the only goodie you can carry in your bag. Brie Larson’s got something to one-up that: marinara sauce.

While most of the interview was tonally pretty serious, it also mentions that Larson is still an upbeat, fun person with a whimsical personality. And she apparently carries her favorite marinara sauce in her backpack for food emergencies. If she doesn’t like the marinara sauce served with her favorite dish (mozzarella sticks) at a restaurant, she has no problem bringing out her own sauce to make things better.

This is truly the mood for 2019, and we should all follow Brie Larson’s ways.

Larson will be starring in Captain Marvel, out in theaters March 8. She’s also making her directorial debut with Netflix’s Unicorn Store, out April 5.