Marvel actor Samuel L. Jackson came to the defense of Brie Larson against what he called an army of “incel dudes who hate strong women.”
Since the release of Captain Marvel in 2019, Brie Larson has become less-than-a-fan-favorite over the years mostly due to her outward woke statements about feminism and diversity, such as when she scolded her fellow Avengers co-star during an interview after he compared her stunt work to Tom Cruise. This video illustrates the controversy best.
Brie Larson perhaps hit her nadir in 2018 when she appeared to suggest that white men have no business criticizing movies directed by a black woman.
“Am I saying I hate white dudes? No, I’m not,” she said during her Crystal Award for Excellence in Film acceptance speech at the Crystal + Lucy Awards. “I don’t want to hear what a white man has to say about ‘A Wrinkle in Time.’ I want to hear what a woman of color, a biracial woman has to say about the film. I want to hear what teenagers think about the film.”
“If you make a movie that is a love letter to women of color, there is a chance that a woman of color does not have access to review and critique your film,” she added. “Do not say the talent is not there, because it is.”
Fans have also not exactly welcomed her return in the upcoming MCU entry The Marvels where she will reprise her role as Captain Marvel. Dislikes for the film’s trailer on YouTube currently outpace likes by over 200,000. Needless to say, Brie Larson has become massively unpopular in the franchise, which she tacitly acknowledged in an interview at the D23 Expo last year.
How long will Brie Larson play Captain Marvel?
“I don’t know. Does anyone want me to do it again?” https://t.co/lyxUEr5y6V pic.twitter.com/sz78oVWKBD
— Variety (@Variety) September 10, 2022
According to Larson’s co-star, Samuel L. Jackson, the massive backlash against Brie Larson has nothing to do with her attitude, behavior, or statements, but everything to do with incels who feel intimidated by strong women.
“We bonded through the election while we were doing her movie when Donald Trump won,” Jackson told Rolling Stone. “She was broken and I was like, ‘Don’t let ‘em break you. You have to be strong now.’ Then, when she got ‘Captain Marvel,’ she called me and was like, ‘They want me in the Marvel Universe. Should I do it?’ And I was like, ‘Hell yeah! Let’s do it!’”
“She’s not going to let any of that stuff destroy her,” he said of her detractors. “These incel dudes who hate strong women, or the fact that she’s a feminist who has an opinion and expressed it? Everybody wants people to be who they want them to be. She is who she is, and she’s genuinely that.”
In the end, no matter what Jackson thinks of Brie Larson, the box office will be the ultimate determinant on her popularity when The Marvels debuts later this year. Whatever happens, Jackson referring to potential paying customers as “incel dudes who hate strong women” will likely do little to help her cause.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed on Tubi, Google Play, YouTube Movies, or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.