Samuel L. Jackson Stands Up for Brie Larson Against 'Incel Dudes Who Hate Strong Women'

Celebrity By TooFab Staff |
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Brie Larson only joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe after consulting dear friend, and frequent collaborator, Samuel L. Jackson ... so there's no way he's going to let all the hate that's come her way since she was cast as Captain Marvel go unanswered.

A superhero on the screen and, in many ways, in real life, Brie Larson doesn't necessarily need anyone to fight her battles for her. But when it comes to her friend Samuel L. Jackson, he's proud to stand by her against her MCU haters.

Larson has been the target of immature and sexist attacks since she was first cast as Captain Marvel. They even went so far as to review bomb her film -- a sadly common tactic employed by these trolls to target progressive films featuring representation for women, minorities and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

"Brie's a stronger person than people give her credit for," Jackson told Rolling Stone of his frequent 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," he continued. "She is who she is, and she's genuinely that."

Jackson and Larson have been friends for years now, having first met on the set of 2017's "Kong: Skull Island." That was followed by his casting in her directorial debut, "Unicorn Store." But it was Trump's election as president during her film that really forged a bond between the two actors.

"She was broken and I was like, 'Don't let 'em break you. You have to be strong now,'" Jackson said of the election. It was around that time she was offered Captain Marvel -- which unfortunately would require almost the same exact fortitude.

"She called me and was like, 'They want me in the Marvel Universe. Should I do it?'" Jackson shared. "And I was like, 'Hell yeah! Let's do it!'"

This would bring the friends together again on the big screen, with another reunion set for sequel film "The Marvels" on November 10. In the meantime, Jackson gets to headline his first MCU project, the "Secret Invasion" series on Disney+.

When asked if he was clamoring for a lead role after 15 years in the MCU and appearances in almost every film (you can see why he's a bit salty about not visiting Wakanda yet right here), Jackson said his biggest concern is "trying to keep them from killing me more than anything else."

"I always wanted to tell the story about who Nick was before he had these superhero friends," Jackson said, "when he lived in the shadow world as a spy, and how he connected with these people. 'Secret Invasion' is not a superhero movie. It's gritty and dark."