Samuel L. Jackson is addressing the backlash to longtime co-star Brie Larson as Captain Marvel in the MCU.
The “Secret Invasion” actor told Rolling Stone that Oscar winner Larson is an unapologetically “feminist,” which is just something Marvel fans and “incel dudes” alike will have to live with.
“Brie’s a stronger person than people give her credit for,” Jackson said of his “Marvels” co-star. “She’s not going to let any of that stuff destroy her. 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.”
Jackson reflected on how he and Larson first became friends while working on the 2017 King Kong iteration “Kong: Skull Island.”
“We had done ‘Kong’ together, which was not the most wonderful experience for either of us,” Jackson said. “We became great friends during that particular experience because we were having such a hard time.”
He continued, “Then, when she was doing her movie [‘Unicorn Store’] and trying to get a particular actor, I was in the makeup trailer with her and was like, ‘Why are you trying to hire this other actor and not trying to get me to do your movie?’ She said, ‘I didn’t think you’d ever do it…so, will you?’ And I was like, ‘Let’s do it.’”
Jackson added, “Then, we bonded through the election while we were doing her movie when Donald Trump won. 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!’”
Jackson and Larson appear together again in the upcoming film “The Marvels,” helmed by Nia DaCosta. The movie ties together “Captain Marvel” and Disney+ series “Ms. Marvel” with Larson’s Carol Danvers joining forces with Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan. Jackson reprises his MCU staple role of Nick Fury.
Jackson recently wondered why his Nick Fury has not appeared in any “Black Panther” films thus far, saying, “I’m still trying to figure out why I’ve never been to Wakanda.”
The “Jackie Brown” actor added, “Feels like I’ve been playing him forever. If I had it my way, I would’ve been in every Marvel movie because, I mean, he is Nick Fury, he knows everything that’s going on.”
