it girls

People Have Been Calling Brie Larson an ‘It Girl,’ Which Is Nice, But She Has a Few Questions About What That Means

Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences' 7th Annual Governors Awards - Arrivals
Brie Larson. Photo: Kevin Winter/2015 Getty Images

If you’re unfamiliar with Brie Larson, chances are that won’t be for long. The actress has had a banner year, appearing in such pics as Amy Schumer’s laugh-filled Trainwreck and (most notably) Lenny Abrahamson’s astonishing Room. CBS acknowledged her rise in a Sunday interview and referred to the star as one of Hollywood’s latest “It Girls” — a term Larson quickly dismantled because she thinks all the newfound attention is kind of weird. (You can and should laud her achievements; she just prefers hypeless specifics.) “There is no ‘it,’” Larson told Tracy Smith, noting that she’s just a person and asking a few questions J.Law would probably have to answer. “Who was ‘it’ before ‘it’? And when does ‘it’ go away? When did I get ‘it’? Who’s gonna take ‘it’?”

Talk of potential Room awards also entered the conversation, but Larson likened that premature kind of thinking to planning a fantasy wedding without first having a boyfriend. “You can think about it when you have the nomination. You go, Wow, I’m going to be there. I wonder what it’ll be like. But you can’t imagine something that hasn’t existed yet,” she explained. “That’s dangerous magical thinking.”

You can get to know her more with the full CBS interview, in which Larson also discusses her path to success and relationship with co-star Jacob Tremblay, below. (Also, side note: Did you know she was a pop star?)

Brie Larson Is Called ‘It Girl,’ Wants Answers