(Instagram)
Brie Larson has landed the role of Captain Marvel in an upcoming film adaptation of the superhero comic, and the casting decision has been widely praised on social media. The actress is now thanking fans for their support, and expressing relief she wasn’t hit with a wave of Internet backlash.
It was announced at Comic-Con over the weekend that Larson, who won Best Actress at this year’s Oscars, had nabbed the coveted role. “Woke up this morning thinking about the tidal wave of support I got this weekend,” she wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday. “It was nerve-racking to trust fall into the Internet! I know who I am, but its wild how quickly you can forget once someone calls you something terrible.”
Larson may be referring to the fact that diehard comic book fans take these casting decisions very seriously, and often aren’t satisfied with the actor or actress chosen for a particular role. Ben Affleck was notably hit with a ton of Internet hate when it was announced he’d be playing Batman, while Jared Leto as The Joker, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, and many others have also taken beatings on social media.
But Larson has seen an overwhelming amount of positive tweets and Instagram comments in regard to her playing Captain Marvel. “I was reminded how the acceptance of community is a deeply rooted need,” she continued, “but I don’t want to live worried people will hate me because I’m myself! We should all have the freedom to be our authentic selves without fear or judgement.”
The actress went on to say, “It’s scary to chip away at all the hardness we coat ourselves with to protect that perfect little being inside. Yeah, people can be mean, but they can also be so many other wonderful things too. Let’s make this place a safe space. No hate and more understanding.”
