Although Brie Larson is best known for her award-winning role in Room and leading the box office juggernaut Captain Marvel, she’s also done work behind the camera, directing Unicorn Store for Netflix. And this week the streaming service shared the first trailer for the film, which is her feature-film directorial debut.
It’s a huge moment for Larson, but one person still thought it’d be appropriate to question her filmmaking credentials. (Sigh.) It all started when Netflix tweeted that Larson’s comedy, which she also coproduced, is “an absolutely charming, heartfelt, exploration of the things that drive us and the creativity that adulthood often tries to extinguish.” To this, one social media user said it seemed like Larson was “just riding Captain Marvel’s wave” and suggested she take notes from Jonah Hill, “who was mentored by Martin Scorsese and took years before he made his directorial debut out of respect for the artistry of film and the position of director.”
Netflix was not having it and hit back faster than you can say “Carol Danvers.” The company casually dropped Larson’s list of accomplishments both as an actress and filmmaker, listing: 58 acting credits, 53 award noms, two writing credits, two short film directing credits, one composing credit, one producing credit, one Oscar, and one feature directing credit. Oh, and she’s been in the business since 1998 and has worked with several talented and respected directors.
Take a look:
Larson retweeted the response, calling it a NETFLEX. Which, it is.
Naturally, people were all for this. “The flex, the serve, the deliver,” one fan wrote. “So proud of you Brie,” another added.
Reminder, Unicorn Store isn’t Larson’s first time directing. The actress codirected two short films, including The Arm, a project that won her a special jury prize at Sundance in 2012. Unicorn Store has received positive reviews since it was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017. It stars Larson as a woman who gets a mysterious invitation to live out one of her childhood dreams. Netflix announced that it would pick up the project earlier this year, and it’s clearly standing by the film ahead of the film’s debut on April 5. In short, let this be a lesson to all to not mess with Captain Marvel.
