Name: Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers (Brie Larson)
Birthdate: October 1, 1989
Birthplace: Sacramento, California
Claim to fame: While you could say her claim to fame moment came when she played Jonah Hill’s love interest in the 2012 blockbuster comedy reboot of 21 Jump Street, she actually came to popular attention on TV first. She starred as rebellious teenager Kate Gregson in the Showtime series United States of Tara from 2009-2011, and her first starring role in the film Short Term 12, gained her widespread critical acclaim and numerous award nominations and wins.
What we can see her in next: She will appear as part of the ensemble cast in the indie flick Digging for Fire, which has a release date of August 21. She’s also starring in the much-anticipated film, Room, which is adapted from the novel of the same name by Emma Donoghue, with a scheduled release date of October 16.
Interesting fact(s): At age six, she became the youngest student to ever attend the American Conservatory theatre in San Francisco. Also, in lieu of her burgeoning music talents, she was signed to a major record deal by Universal records when she was only 13 years old.
Best quote: “I was three when I told my mom that I knew what my dharma was and that I wanted to be an actor.” — On knowing what she wanted to do from an early age.
Why we love her: Our WCW this week is Brie Larson. Which going by her name alone, will probably do nothing but draw blank faces. Well, for those of you who aren’t entertainment encyclopedias and don’t know every rising actor out there, Brie Larson is exactly that, a rising actor everyone’s talking about. But lets not forget the role that first landed her in the commercial stratosphere, when she played Jonah Hill’s love interest in 21 Jump Street — you know the girl who was kind of, kind of not Dave Franco’s girl but then Jonah Hill sort of, sort of not swept her off her feet with his clutzy charm.
For commercial audiences, 21 Jump Street was the first time we saw her face on screen. But she got her first “break” so-to-speak when she landed a regular role as the teenager Kate Gregson on the Showtime series United States of Tara, which aired from 2009-2011. It was her work in that show which landed her roles like the one she had on 21 Jump Street, but in particular, her first starring role in Short Term 12, which gained her widespread recognition from industry peers and critics. It was that latter role that would really propel her in the direction she’s now running with full steam ahead, while Jump Street gave her some commercial credibility.
Over the years she’s built up a solid resume of work on numerous notable films, such as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Don Jon, The Spectacular Now, and last year’s Mark Wahlberg film, The Gambler, which she played the female lead.
Now it seems Brie Larson is in just about everything that’s coming out. She was already in July’s smash comedy, Trainwreck, where she played Amy Schumer’s much more stable and together sister. She then appears in the ensemble cast of Digging for Fire, which releases later this month, then she is starring in the highly anticipated film, Room, a Canadian-Irish drama that is likely going to be one of the most buzzed about films at this year’s TIFF festival. The film should take Larson to the next level, as it’s based on a popular novel and will undoubtedly put Larson’s talents and emotional depth on full display.
To make all her recent film success that much more unbelievable, Larson is also a highly talented singer. She even signed a major record deal with Universal records when she was 13, coming out with her debut album back in 2005. Now that’s what you call a disgusting amount of talent all packed into one pretty person!
You can catch Larson in her latest movie, Digging for Fire, which releases in limited theatres on August 21.
