Going Higher, Further, Faster with the Cast & Crew of “Captain Marvel”

By Melanie Gable

*I was invited as media to attend the press junket for “Captain Marvel.” All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA, was even more star-studded than usual on Feb. 22 when the cast and filmmakers behind Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” held a press conference to talk about the new movie. Captain Marvel herself, Brie Larson, shared production stories and insights, along with Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Jude Law (Yon-Rogg), Producer Kevin Feige, Co-directors Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, and more. Erin Miller invited me to cover the event for her, and I was thrilled to learn more about the film from the stars themselves.

“Captain Marvel,” which opens March 8 (International Women’s Day), is the first Marvel Studios film to feature a solo female lead. The story centers on U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers, who gains awe-inspiring super powers under mysterious circumstances. Set in the 1990s, the movie acts as a prequel of sorts to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and is one of the most highly anticipated films of the year.

Rotten Tomatoes Editor Jacqueline Coley moderated the discussion, which featured the aforementioned talent, along with Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Lashana Lynch (Maria Rambeau), and Gemma Chan (Minn-Erva). Coley began with Feige, asking him about the process of selecting the directors for “Captain Marvel.” Boden and Fleck, a married couple and creative partners known for character-driven indie films, were an unconventional choice for a big-budget superhero movie. Feige explained the decision to hire Boden and Fleck for “Captain Marvel,” saying, “It’s their body of work, and it’s their focus on character…our belief that they wouldn’t have lost the character amongst the spectacle and the fun and the effects.”

Boden and Fleck, who are also writers, cinematographers, and editors, met on the set of a student film and worked together on “Mississippi Grind,” “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” “Sugar,” and “Half Nelson,” for which lead actor Ryan Gosling received an Academy Award nomination. The duo were at one point considered to direct “Guardians of the Galaxy,” but “Captain Marvel” turned out to be the right fit. Feige was particularly swayed by Boden’s pitch, adding that she spoke “very eloquently” about Carol Danvers and convinced the studio that she and Fleck were the right team for the job. During the film’s production, Boden even went up in a U.S.A.F. jet, as did Lynch and Larson, which Feige said was “super impressive” and joked, “I wouldn’t do it for a million dollars.”

For Larson, who trained every day for months to play Carol Danvers, even pushing a 5,000 pound Jeep for 60 seconds (as seen in a video she shared on her Instagram page), the experience of preparing for the role was both emotional and inspirational. “When we’re talking about Carol’s strength and we’re talking about what I learned from her, it’s that I’m stronger than I realized,” shared Larson, who was able to dead-lift 225 pounds and hip-thrust 400 pounds during her training. “So this concept, when it comes to gender norms or what the human body is capable of, or in particular maybe what a female body is capable of, it’s capable of a lot.”

Aside from her physical strength, there was also a lot to love about Danvers as a character for Larson, who is drawn to “female complexity” when choosing roles. “I was a little worried about playing somebody, a superhero that would be perfect — because I don’t feel like that’s realistic, or something aspirational at all,” she confessed. “Sometimes I physically landed on my face doing stunts, and sometimes I just do a bad take. It’s just how it goes. So getting to play a character where the whole character arc and turn of this is watching her be this major risk taker, which means it’s not always going to work out the best. And those are the moments, the defining moments of her character, where she doesn’t lay down, she gets back up. I mean, that’s everything. That’s for everybody. There isn’t a person who can’t relate to that, I don’t think.”

Nick Fury, the S.H.I.E.L.D. director portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson, is integral to the plots of multiple Marvel Studios films, helming the Avengers Initiative and recruiting individuals with superpowers to protect Earth from alien invasion, and sometimes each other. In “Captain Marvel” we get a fresh take on Fury, with Jackson playing a younger, more inexperienced version of the character, aided by de-aging technology. “It’s kind of fun to not be the all-knowing, angry…persuader that Nick Fury always is,” Jackson revealed. “Sort of a kinder, gentler, not-so-cynical/world-weary/chip-on-the-shoulder Nick Fury.” As far as the de-aging process was concerned, it didn’t interfere much with Jackson’s performance during filming. “They put the wig on me and they put dots my face, so it kind of felt like I was in Wakanda,” he joked, referring to the fictional setting of Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther.” Feige chimed in, praising the “spectacular” technology used to achieve the effects. “We’ve done it in a number of films and I think this represents the peak. However, the two people up here who we did do it to, Sam Jackson and Clark Gregg, are the two human beings on earth who don’t need it.” Feige joked, “I urge you to Google them in 1995 and it’s almost identical, so we saved a lot of money; let’s put it that way.”

Some of the action of “Captain Marvel” takes place in other galaxies, and Jude Law was cast as Yon-Rogg, an alien Kree military commander who plays a significant role in Carol Danvers’ life. Moderator Coley asked Law, a father of five, if his children were excited about his Marvel Studios debut. Law replied that his older kids think it’s “cool,” which he considers high praise in teenage vernacular. Another good sign? Repeat viewings. “They saw it this week and then there’s a screening next week in London, and the fact that they all want to come again is a very good sign. With friends,” Law said proudly.

An even more important character in Carol Danvers’ world is her BFF, Maria Rambeau, played by British actress Lashanna Lynch. A newcomer to the MCU, Lynch campaigned for years to be cast in a Marvel Studios film and finally got her shot with “Captain Marvel.” Though her previous auditions didn’t work out, she asserts that it was for a reason. “I felt like, energetically, I was drawing towards something that represented something that I care about: women. So yeah, I campaigned to be up here,” she admitted with a laugh. Lynch is rightfully proud of her role in the film. “I feel like I’m not only representing women, I’m representing black women. I’m representing single mothers and representing women in the military and that’s pretty damn special.”

Larson and Lynch visited a U.S. Air Force base in preparation for their roles, and it was a wild experience. “Flying an F-16…is like your eyeballs coming out of the sockets and landing in your back pocket kind of thing,” Lynch shared, to laughter from the audience. “That was great. I can’t liken it to anything else. It’s wonderful to be able to be an actor and just add these different experiences and skills to your repertoire.”

Rambeau’s friendship with Danvers is vital to her, and vice versa. While the characters are both tough, independent women who share a dry sense of humor, they can also be real and vulnerable with each other. Said Larson, “I think what they’ve gone through together, going through military training together, being the only women and then using each other to lean on through that type of, like, support and a recognition of their experience is…is really special. I mean, of course, I think they would have been friends outside of that experience, but I think that that’s a really tight-knit bond that they have, and they’re family.” And it’s no secret that the true love story of the film is the ride-or-die friendship between Rambeau and Danvers. “This is the love of the movie; this is the great love. This is the love lost. This is the love found again. This is the reason to continue fighting and to go to the ends of the earth for the person, the thing that you love. And it’s her [Danvers’] best friend and her best friend’s daughter. Which to me is so natural,” Larson enthused.

Along with Jackson, Clark Gregg is another familiar face to MCU fans, having played S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson on both the small and big screen. Returning to play the role once more in “Captain Marvel” was, to him, a no-brainer. “It wasn’t a long conversation. They [Marvel Studios] said, ‘Hey, do you want to come back? It’s the ‘90s. Cool soundtrack. Ryan and Anna. Little origin buddy stuff with Sam. And they’re going to give you more hair and make you look younger. Oh, and Brie Larson is going to be Captain Marvel,’ and I was like, ‘Okay, where do I go?’” Gregg said, chuckling. “It was so incredibly fun to do.” Gregg has taken his daughter to see many Marvel movies over the years, but now that she’s a teenager, he can’t wait to introduce her to Captain Marvel. “I’ve never been more excited to take her to anything ever.”

British actress Gemma Chan is probably best known to audiences as elegant Astrid  Young in “Crazy Rich Asians,” but she plays a very different role in her MCU debut, donning blue makeup and a hardcore look to play Minn-Erva, an intimidating (and deadly) Kree sniper. “I like to change it up and surprise people a bit, and it was really fun going from playing Astrid, who is this very warm-hearted, kind, empathetic person to Minn-Erva, who’s got a harder edge. I like kind of tapping into that side of me. It was fun. It’s fun to be bad,” she kidded, smiling sweetly. Chan also attended sniper school while training for her role, learning how to crawl with her rifle and perform other drills that would help her look like an experienced sharpshooter. “There’s an amazing stunt team that Marvel has and they help you look like you know what you’re doing. Because I really didn’t. And hopefully…hopefully pulled off.” (For the record, she did pull it off.)

For anyone who grew up in the 1990s, like I did, certain scenes in “Captain Marvel” will trigger nostalgia for the pre-social media days of grunge, bad attitudes, and staggeringly slow dial-up connections. Directors Boden and Fleck are also Gen Xers, and they had plenty to draw on to make the movie a true period piece, even creating a playlist of ‘90s music for the cast and crew before filming began. “I actually worked at a Blockbuster in 1995,” Fleck divulged, referring to the now-defunct video rental chain, which is also the location of a scene in the film. “So…that brought back a lot of memories, creating that set.”

Just for fun, Coley asked the panel what they wished they could bring back from the 1990s. For Fleck, it was, understandably, “VHS tapes.” Boden raved about Dunkaroos, the beloved graham cracker and frosting snack that was popular during the decade, and added, “Pay phones. Because then I wouldn’t have to check my email all the time.” Gregg said he wished MTV had music videos again, and Chan professed her love for the T.V. show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Jackson quipped, “Laser discs,” with Larson insisting, “He is very passionate about laser discs, by the way. That’s not a joke.” Larson loved butterfly clips, a hair accessory that was a staple for everyone from tweens to famous actresses to The Spice Girls. “I was a big fan of the band The Verve,” shared Law of the group known for the hit “Bittersweet Symphony” (which is also one of my personal favorite songs from the decade). Lynch longs for a resurgence of ‘90s R&B, and Feige misses walking around video stores.

And absent from the panel, but not from our hearts, was Goose, the ginger feline star of the film whose image has been peering out at us from t-shirts, collectibles, and “Captain Marvel” posters for weeks. When asked about working with Reggie, the main cat who plays Goose, Jackson said, with his signature dry humor, “I am not a cat person. But I’m also not a dog, bird, or a fish person, either. I don’t engage pets.” The audience laughed as Jackson described his interactions with the “snack-oriented” Reggie. “You give him something to eat, he shows up. You know, you give him something to eat, you talk softly and nice to him, give him something to eat again. They love you.” Audiences are sure to love Goose, who adds levity and humor to the film.

Boden and Fleck were asked what they took away from their first big-budget film directing experience. “I think I realized, over the course of making this movie that I’m, as a person, kind of more comfortable hiding and not being seen,” Boden confided, sharing a story about literally hiding behind Fleck when they won an award at the Sundance Film Festival early in their careers. “The whole process [of making the movie] has helped me, you know, be more confident in my voice and just be more comfortable…I’m not very comfortable right now; I’ve got to be honest. But a little bit more comfortable just being seen.” Added Fleck, “Yeah, I mean for me, I just, I’ve always sort of known this, but I learned just how kick-ass my directing partner is. She’s awesome.”

Boden and Fleck clearly make a great team, and they definitely had to rely on each other during production because of the steep learning curve involved in leaping from indie films to a VFX-heavy blockbuster. “What we wanted to bring to this story is a continuation of the things we had done in our other movies, which is an intimacy and character-focused storytelling. The visual effects were challenging at first for us, but we were working with the best in the business,” said Fleck, of Marvel Studios. “We were in good hands and we were able to lean on them and work very collaboratively with the Effects team and learn how that works. And they were patient with us and it was wonderful. I can’t think of a better studio to take that leap with. I mean, they are just the best collaborators at Marvel. And really let us tell the story we wanted to tell.”

To end the conference, a twelve-year-old reporter named Lula stood up and asked the panel what they hoped kids would take away from the movie. Larson asked her if she’d seen the movie, which she had. Then Larson said gently, “I’m more curious to know what you thought of the movie. I mean, we made it for you. So that’s really what this is about. I feel like the world is already telling you so much, as to how you’re supposed to think and feel and interpret things and who you’re supposed to grow up to be. We’re not supposed to put that on you. We’re just showing you images and it’s up to you to decide. So what did you think?” Lula responded quietly, “I thought it was amazing. I loved, um…you as Captain Marvel, because I thought you were such an empowering female role figure. And role model. And I think that all my friends and me, when we watch the movie, we’ll all really appreciate that.”

Cue teary eyes and sniffles from both the panel and audience.

Special thanks to Marvel Studios for a fantastic event, and to Erin for inviting me to cover for her! CAPTAIN MARVEL arrives in theatres everywhere on March 8.

Like CAPTAIN MARVEL on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaptainMarvelOfficial/

Follow CAPTAIN MARVEL on Twitter: https://twitter.com/captainmarvel

Follow CAPTAIN MARVEL on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/captainmarvelofficial/

Visit the official CAPTAIN MARVEL site here: https://www.marvel.com/movies/captain-marvel