The Rise Of Brie Larson: The Star Of ‘Room’ Is Set To Conquer

Every now and then when you are watching a film, someone grabs your attention, pulls you into their performance and their story becomes unforgettable, an imprint on your mind that is hard to shake off. Meet Brie Larson, the star of ROOM, she has been grabbing a lot of headlines of late and for very good reason…

A bright spotlight is currently shining above this young 26-year-old’s head, yet for some she may be a new face that they are just getting to know. The American actress has an acting career that already spans almost two decades, but you’d be forgiven for not recognising her if she were to stroll past you in the street.

Fans of independent film might be familiar with her from her critically acclaimed role as a careworker in SHORT TERM 12, or most recently for starring alongside Amy Schumer in 2015’s comedy, TRAINWRECK, yet it is only recently that she is beginning to receive recognition – and quite rightly so.

Larson may need to wave goodbye to her anonymity over the next few months at the very least thanks to her emotionally wrenching performance in the forthcoming film ROOM for which she has been nominated for both an Oscar and a BAFTA and she also scooped a Golden Globe for the Best Actress award for her role in the aforementioned movie. 

Now, at age 26, after a busy but largely unheralded career, Larson is suddenly breaking out as one of Hollywood’s latest discoveries for what is her most difficult — and personal — role yet. Larson has become one of a handful of women whose career is on the rise and she is landing refreshingly strong screen character roles, which Hollywood has so desperately needed in recent decades. 

Adapted from the bestselling novel by Emma Donoghue, ROOM was influenced by the case of Josef Fritzl, and the film is a rather tumultuous watch – and certainly emotional. Larson plays Ma (real name Joy), a young woman who has been kept prisoner in a garden shed for seven years and has given birth to a son, Jack, now five (played by Jacob Tremblay), the result of sustained rape at the hands of her captor.

Ma creates a world so vivid, so normal, and so full of love in the tiny 10-by-10-foot space with only a skylight and no windows. In the shed, Jack is entirely unaware of their horrifying circumstances of what is actually going on around them and the cruel reality of the situation. What really makes the film so endearing and indeed Larson’s character is that despite all of the horror around her and the mental, emotional and physical ordeal she has had to go through, Joy still manages to  shine a light in a dark dungeon.

The story behind ROOM is told from the perspective of 5-year-old Jack, who has lived his entire life in that awful place with his mother. Unbeknown to him, he has been held captive for seven years by a deranged, sexual deviant (played by Sean Bridgers). The movie tells the story of their plans to escape and adjust to life in the outside world. But aside all of their dreams to escape and immerse themselves in the normal world, the real touching theme of the movie is different: it’s a story of love, and the indescribable bond between mother and child, which cannot be broken and will not be tainted.



There is no denying that the story is dark and the role is harrowing, which will have been an emotional marathon for the actress and her young counterpart, but this is exactly why it is so great that the film is being recognised – and the talent of the actress in it, after playing such a demanding and harrowing role with such finesse and sensitivity that it makes the audience believe that it is real and that they really do have to escape together no matter what it takes. 

For the draining role, Larson also became a sort of method actor, totally immersing herself within the role, to feel exactly what Joy felt; the isolation, the fear, the loneliness and even worse, her helplessness. In order to do this, she has openly admitted that she subjected herself to a month of isolation, barricaded in her Los Angeles apartment and conducted research into the effects of the lack of vitamin D after being shut away from natural light in captivity. 

Larson’s performance has been tipped as a potential Oscar winner since ROOM had its first film festival screenings in autumn 2015 and it is not hard to see why.

Despite all of the praise and attention Larson has received, her young scene partner, 9-year-old actor Jacob Tremblay must also be praised for his sublime acting in the movie. He is also garnering a lot of media attention for his portrayal of Jack, who delivered a remarkable performance. The duo certainly created a lot of chemistry onscreen and made their relationship utterly believable and so beautiful.  

Like her young co-star, Larson also knew at a very young age that she wanted to be an actress. She grew up in Sacramento, California and her parents shared a chiropractic practice. After announcing her intention, at age 6, to become an actor, her mother eventually enrolled her in classes, where the shy girl came to life on stage and it was here that she she came out of her shell. Larson’s career break came at a young age, co-starring in the Disney Channel movie RIGHT ON TRACK and she has never looked back since.

The Oscar nominee, is currently filming KONG: SKULL ISLAND alongside Tom Hiddleston in Hawaii and Australia and has recently finished filming the action thriller FREE FIRE, a crime drama co-starring Armie Hammer and Cillian Murphy.

Larson has well and truly been thrust into the limelight, even more so now that she is a frontrunner in Hollywood’s competitive awards race.

A star of the future has been born, and what an exciting ride she has ahead of her. We cannot wait to see what other projects she has planned, but one thing is for sure, we will be watching with admirable interest. 

ROOM hits cinemas January 15th, 2016.

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