Brie Larson Revealed Why Weightlifting Meant So Much To Her In Her 'Captain Marvel' Training

It seems like there comes a time in every movie star's life when they have to stick to a super intense workout regimen to prepare for a role. Plus, since superhero movies are such a huge thing right now, that seems to be a particularly common reality for the Hollywood crowd. While getting action movie-strong to be in a film like X-Men or Black Panther is, no doubt, a daunting task — one that most of us would likely hard-pass on — actress Brie Larson talked about weightlifting for Captain Marvel in a cover story interview for the March 2019 issue of InStyle, and rather than focus on how difficult the whole process must have been, she opened up about how empowering it felt, from the inside out, to build that kind of strength.

In the interview, Larson said that one of the coolest parts about playing the titular character of Captain Marvel was the fact that her strength is so multifaceted. The Marvel heroine, "whose civilian identity is Carol Danvers," per InStyle, is, from my understanding, a totally badass, unapologetic, flawed, relatable character who, you know, just so happens to possess superhuman strength. Larson told the magazine,

She didn’t apologize for herself. I felt like that was a really valuable trait, because she is incredibly flawed and makes a lot of mistakes … and has to ask to atone for them, and that is super valuable. She’s not ever shrinking herself down.

Of course, honing the attitude and mindset of Captain Marvel was just one aspect of Larson's job. As InStyle reports, the 29-year-old actress also physically trained for nine freaking months to prepare for the role. By the end, Larson could both deadlift over 200 pounds, and hip-thrust over 400 pounds. Yeah, I know.

And, um, y'all? Larson actually pushed her trainer's Jeep up a hill during a workout, according to InStyle — which doesn't seem possible to me, because I would undoubtedly throw my back out if I tried to do that. But, you know, seemingly impossible things happen every day, right?

As impressive as these physical feats of strength are, the Oscar-winning actress pointed out to InStyle that, in terms of the whole getting-strong-AF thing, while it was rewarding for her personally, it didn't necessarily affect the outcome of the movie, because it's "not really going to look any different with the fact that I can actually lift 225 pounds."

But that doesn't actually matter, and that's not what the strength training was for. According to Larson, it was all for her own benefit in gaining a better understanding of the role, not to mention what her own body is capable of when she works really hard toward something. Larson said that building that strength was about stepping into her body in a way that made her feel powerful and proud of what she was doing.

Plus, let's be real, it's just plain rad to see a buff, kickass woman on the big screen saving lives and generally ~slaying~.

Larson told InStyle,

It doesn’t matter to anyone else, but it did to me. Breaking that boundary of what it means for a woman to be muscular and strong and own your body and use it as a tool, that felt meaningful.

Seems to me like she's got this whole superhuman thing down-pat.