Are The MCU's Samuel L. Jackson And Brie Larson Friends In Real Life?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gifted us with some of the most enjoyable teams-ups on-screen, including Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland), and the unlikely duo of superhero pilot Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), director of SHIELD. Unsurprisingly, after working closely together on such a unique experience for so long, many of the actors end up being friends like the Avengers or Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr. hanging out together outside of production.
Thankfully, the trend continues with Larson and Jackson, who have built a special bond throughout several projects, even outside of Marvel. In a heartwarming and inspiring interview with Rolling Stone, Jackson spoke about how the two grew close during a particularly difficult production: "Brie's a stronger person than people give her credit for. We had done Kong together, which was not the most wonderful experience for either of us. We became great friends during that particular experience because we were having such a hard time."
In a surprise turn, Jackson enthusiastically volunteered to be in Larson's "Unicorn Store," a passion project for the new director. "When she was ... 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?'" he related. "She said, 'I didn't think you'd ever do it... so, will you?' And I was like, 'Let's do it.'"
The two bonded even more over dark times while filming Brie Larson's directorial debut
After their wild experience together on "Kong: Skull Island," the two became even closer during the filming of "Unicorn Store" in 2016. The colorful and imaginative tale follows a lost woman in her 20s named Kit (Larson) who finally gets to live her dream of having her very own unicorn. Samuel L. Jackson plays the Salesman, who guides her through this vivid new world of wonder.
The film turned out to be exactly what they both needed as the nation received unsettling news during its production. As Jackson told Rolling Stone, "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.'" Their relationship continued through their next collaboration: the unfairly divisive MCU installment "Captain Marvel."
Jackson recalled, "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!' But 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."
Thankfully, Larson has a strong and caring friend like Jackson to support her during hard times, which also strengthens their on-screen chemistry. And lucky for us, we'll be able to witness even more of this magical pairing when "The Marvels" lands in theaters on November 10.