ROOM directed by Lenny Abrahamson, written by Emma Donoghue from her novel, with Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, William H. Macy and Joan Allen. An Elevation Pictures release. 118 minutes. Opens Friday (October 23). See listings.
People who are talking about Brie Larsons Room performance as revelatory a word that was tossed around a lot at TIFF, before and after the movie won the Peoples Choice Award just havent been paying attention.
Larson has always been a formidable screen presence, whether in dramas like Short Term 12 and The Gambler (yes, really) or comedies like Trainwreck, 21 Jump Street and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World in which her character, Envy Adams, appeared on a fake NOW cover.
But Room puts Larson front and centre, hanging its entire emotional arc on her character, Ma, who has spent seven years in the isolation of the place she and her five-year-old son, Jack (Jacob Tremblay), call Room. Its a tremendously felt performance, and as Larson tells me a couple of days before the films TIFF premiere one she worked like hell to get right.
I had, like, six months of prep, she explains, so I had plenty of time to break it down into little pieces. I was able to break it down to [my character at] 17, what that would be like… and then seven years later. The way that the brain works to shut off certain awarenesses in order to survive. And then theres the lack of sunlight, the lack of nutritious food… all of these aspects, these little roads and avenues that I was able to go down and research.
She had less time to bond with her young co-star, but they made it work.
We had about two weeks before [shooting], she says. We just hung out. Played Lego, we built some toys all the toys you see in Room we built and that was sort of it. I mean, we got on really well, so it was very easy to create that relationship, because it was just there.
Now that Room is showing people this more intense side of Larson, does she expect to steer -toward more purely dramatic roles?
Oh, I dont know, she says. Something like Room sort of emotionally depletes you. After I was done with this, I was like, I dont think I can cry for a really long time. So then you just want to laugh again, you just want to do something completely silly and shake it off.
And after you do that for a while, then youre like, Ooh, Im ready to dive back in and see what else is happening inside my subconscious. Projects start to come your way and you think, Ooh, maybe I wanna try that.
I enjoy the fact that I can jump around to all these different things. I cant imagine doing just comedy. I cant imagine doing just drama. I need that variation.
In that case, I ask, where does her next project, the giant-monster movie Kong: Skull Island, fit in? Does it fit in at all?
Well, of course! she says, smiling. Im not sure if Im allowed to say anything about it, but it certainly fits in.
Brie Larson on knowing what she wants to do:
Larson on working with the actors who play Ma’s parents:
Larson on shooting Room’s hardest scene [spoilers, definitely]:
Read our review for Room here and our Q&A with director Lenny Abrahamson here.
normw@nowtoronto.com | @normwilner
