Brie Larson on Short Term and Her Breakout Year

You'll be hearing about Brie Larson's star-marking turn in Short Term 12 often during the upcoming award season (we promise). We spoke with her about her amazing year, her audition, and what she looks for when she watches her own movies.

Short Term 12, one of the most beloved films coming out of this year's SXSW, finally hits theaters this week after touring the Festival circuit. Directed by Destin Cretton, the film explores the life of the staff at a short-term foster care facility where kids wait to be dispersed throughout the system. In her first starring role, Brie Larson plays Grace, one of the employees in charge, who is forced by life-changing news to come to terms with her own personal demons as she struggles to keep her head above water.

Larson gives a stunning, completely naturalistic performance, devoid of stereotypes or vanity. We got the chance to speak with the actress/filmmaker about the importance of collaboration, her own artistic process, and getting past all the superficiality on screen to arrive at something that's honest.

Tribeca: What first drew you to the role of Grace in Short Term 12?

Brie Larson: The script was so well written and felt really easy. Everything was shown and revealed in such a simple and effortless way. It felt like there was no attempt to try and make you feel things; the audience feels for these characters without manipulation. Plus, Grace is extremely complex, and it's not very often that you see such a well-written individual on the page.

It shouldn't be some strange anomaly that people watch a movie and relate to the characters.

Tribeca: Do you remember your first interaction with writer/director Destin Cretton?

BL: We did a Skype call because I was in Georgia at the time, and I was really nervous because I wanted the role so badly. I was concerned that he was going to find me under-qualified for the material. So I applied for a bunch of volunteer jobs in Georgia to try and take the initiative and work on a floor with kids before I spoke with him.

I told him on our first Skype call that I had applied for these jobs, which was impressive to him, but I didn't tell him I got rejected from all of them. [laughs] I was kind of freaking out until he popped up on the screen. He was Skyping from his bedroom, and I could see that his bed was unmade, which I really appreciated. It became very clear to me that with him there was no pretension involved.

Tribeca: As you said, Grace is a complex and messy character. You can't help but love her and be frustrated by her at the same time. Can you talk about working with Destin to craft the character?

BL: There was a lot on the page, but the subtext you just can't write. Developing a character is also really hard to talk about and explain. It's just something you have to just do and hope that you're doing it correctly. So we met up in LA once to go through the script and go through every single scene.

Instead of talking, we just sat there outside together in silence. We read our scripts and I drew a little. There was immediately a sense of companionability between the two of us. Neither of us had anything to prove to the other. I think that was a huge part of what allowed the performance to be what it is. I didn't have to perform; I could just be.

Tribeca: Is a character like Grace difficult to shake? Was there a scene you felt that was particularly hard to tackle?

BL: There wasn't really anything that was hard to tackle, strangely. The hardest part about it was just keeping from going too deep into the darkness for my own sanity. The danger is getting into the dark cave and living there, but the kids that we were working with were so good at going in and doing the scene and then going back to themselves. None of them are anything like the kids depicted in the film.

It was wonderful to watch Kaitlyn [Dever] doing the temper tantrum scene where her dad doesn't pick her up. She would go crazy, just insane with the tears and the thrashing. The second we yelled cut, she'd wipe her eyes and say that was fun let's do it again. That was incredibly inspiring to me. I learned the importance of understanding the difference between reality and fiction and making sure that I saved a little bit of myself at the end of every day. When the movie was over, I wanted to be sure that I was still intact.

Tribeca: All the characters in Short Term 12 use art as an outlet to express themselves and to vent their frustrations. Do you use art in the same way?

BL: Oh absolutely. That is how I've been able to, since as far as I can remember, visualize and work through and explain things when I don't have the words. You start to realize that there's a huge flaw with written language and the thing that transcends it all are these colors and symbolism and emotions that are not tangible. I think art is such a powerful outlet. I truly believe that every person is an artist and a storyteller; just some are more interested in accepting that about themselves than others.

Whether you are male or female, or in a movie or not in a movie, you have to move beyond superficiality to truly be part of the human experience.

Tribeca: In addition to acting, you're also a filmmaker and have been part of the creative teams behind the shorts, The Arm and Weighting, which played at festivals like Sundance and SXSW. Is filmmaking something you wish to pursue in the future? Does your acting experience make the transition easier?

BL: Yeah, it's an important balance to me. I just go where I'm inspired and there are stories I need to tell. It's just a different role in the storytelling process. Different things are required and asked of my brain and I enjoy using the other aspects and working other muscles.

Filmmaking also allows me to enjoy the acting

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