In cinemas this week: Brie is movie Marvel as she takes on role of superhero

Brie Larson has come an incredibly long way in her short life – in fact, you could say she’s a bit of a marvel.

The Californian actress, not yet 30, has said that as a little girl, she was dreadfully shy and suffered with social anxiety.

Today, set to be the star of Marvel Comics’ first female-led superhero movie, we can assume she has shaken off those feelings.

Brie will play Carol Danvers, the former US Air Force pilot who finds herself with superpowers after an accident and becomes Captain Marvel.

With a massive budget and stellar cast, there is a lot of heavy pressure on Brie’s shoulders to carry the whole thing off.

As the film is being recognised as the most highly-anticipated of the year, there are an awful lot of people out there desperate to watch it and to see her succeed.

In the United States, its release is being timed to coincide with International Women’s Day, and women were also the major contributors to the writing of it.

With Brie just 26 when it began, some people behind the scenes seemed unsure if it was pushing the believable, to have someone of her age in the film.

So they went to the US Air Force and asked the experts, who said that no, someone of that age could certainly achieve such things.

Brie was chosen, it’s been said, because she has the talent and ability to play a super-powerful being and keep a human, emotional side to her as well.

The actress has described her Danvers character as aggressive, quick-tempered and invasive – all things that can help her but can also be character flaws.

It’s all based, of course, on the classic American comic book tales, and in this film version, Captain Marvel comes into her own when she has to sort out a galactic conflict between two alien worlds.

When you consider how unsure she was of her career, it’s quite a feat.

“I was so insecure and so hard on myself back then,” Brie has admitted.

“But there was a moment when I started doing the math. It took me two hours to get ready every day – hair and make-up, so many clothes, trying to make sure everything matched.

“I realised how much time I was spending getting ready for life – I wasn’t actually living it! It was the most terrified I’ve ever been in my life. So I went the opposite way.”

Now, she hopes taking on this role will empower other women.

“Women are such strong, powerful leaders and a lot of the time we play it silent,” she says.

Still, the success and fame can faze her at times.

“The hardest pill for me to swallow has been receiving recognition,” she admits.

“That’s the part that has always terrified me. You can see dozens of photos where I have zero hair and make-up, as I was not interested in that side of it.”

Super-powered and super-normal!

Captain Marvel is in cinemas from Friday March 8.