Brie Larson Might Be Captain Marvel But The MCU Star Says She Still Barely Gets Recognized In Public

In Brie Larson’s 33 years on this Earth, she’s accomplished a ton. She has won an Oscar, become a Marvel superhero that had a hand in defeating Thanos in one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, and she's been on the cover of a ton of magazines. However, when the actor was recently asked about her fame, she shared that she's rarely recognized in public. 

It’s a statement that’s sure to create a ton of envy from her colleagues in Hollywood. Here’s what Brie Larson said on the subject:  

If I’m checking out at the grocery store, I don’t get recognized. I get ‘Are you friends with my cousin?’ I am the classic face of ‘friend of your cousin.’ 

In a cover story for Harper’s Bazaar, Larson recalled being approached by a security guard while she was leaving a theater after seeing her friend in A Streetcar Named Desire in London, he told her fans were outside waiting for programs to be signed by her. Larson said she thought to herself “How is this possible?” as if she’s not one of the biggest stars working today. Lucky for her, most times she is able to walk the streets without being instantly recognized. As she continued: 

I want to be in reality. I love reality. It’s all I want. My biggest fear is to not be in reality. It matters so much to me. I don’t wear super-flashy clothes when I’m out in the world because I want to stay in reality. I’m very good at confrontation in my relationships because I want to be in reality. I want to be in what’s as close to what’s true as possible.

The Marvels

The Marvels logo

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Release Date: November 10, 2023
Directed By: Nia DaCosta
Written By: Megan McDonnell, Nia DaCosta, Elissa Karasik, Zeb Wells
Starring: Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, Teyonah Parris, Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton and Park Seo-joon

It’s a wonder the actor can walk freely in the world most days given she is the lead of the upcoming Marvel movie The Marvels, and she's among the star-studded Fast X cast, plus she's working on the TV adaptation of the bestseller Lessons In Chemistry. Larson has been working in the movie business since she was a kid too, finding early roles in movies like 13 Going On 30 and Hoot, so it's surprising that she doesn't get recognized all that often. 

I imagine in many cases other people don't expect the face of a Marvel movie to stroll into a grocery store and be the normal person they are. So, it’s likely many of us have passed right by a celebrity and had no idea. What also helps Larson is not going for flashy outfits while she’s out and about. As she shared, her “biggest fear” is losing touch with reality and perhaps succumbing to her fame not allowing her to enjoy life as it is. 

Larson’s recent words are a solid reminder that even though we feel like we know actors like her because of their place in the spotlight, getting to be part of simple things like going to a theater or grocery store without work being recognized, is just as important. 

That being said, Brie Larson recently took to social media to share fan art of herself as Captain Marvel along with commenting how she “can’t wait” for everyone to get reacquainted with her superhero in the movie. While The Marvels was initially set for a summer release, it has since been delayed to November. Before that, you can look forward to the actor starring in Fast X, coming to theaters on May 19. 

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.