Brie Larson goes by a few different names. Carol Danvers, for one, and Captain Marvel for another. But many fans don't realize that Brie wasn't always Brie Larson.
In fact, her birth name was something totally different, and it wasn't quite as catchy as the name that's in the credits on all her films. In the scheme of things, Larson's name probably isn't the interesting part of her acting trajectory, though.
Her "feud" with Jeremy Renner has been a recent attention-grabber, and there's always discussion among fans about whether Brie's really as talented as some think when it comes to her role in the MCU.
In fact, some fans think that Brie Larson's career won't last beyond her 'Captain Marvel' contract. But the fact remains that she's had plenty of success in Hollywood already.
To get there, though, Brie had to make a creative decision about her name.
She was born Brianne Desaulniers, noted Insider, which probably wouldn't have been as easy to read or pronounce in the credits of her films. Not to mention, it made casting calls a bit uncomfortable for Brie; she told Jimmy Fallon a few years back that people mispronounced her name all the time.
But it was more than people mucking up her French surname that drove Brie to swap her name entirely. As for her first name, Brie is far trendier and catchy than her full time. Hollywood is all about nicknames anyway; think about Kim K, T Swift, or J Law, just to name a few.
Her last name was the one that was truly inspired, Larson told Jimmy. Desaulniers was tough for people to pronounce, and around the time that she was looking for a new surname to slap onto her moniker, Brie explained, she'd recently been given an American Girl doll.
Yep, even at an early age (around nine), Brie had become annoyed with people botching her last name. Though some fans may not have realized it yet, Brie's been a Hollywood staple for ages; she got her start in fake commercials on Jay Leno as a young kid. So by the time she chose to adopt a stage name, the inspiration was already there, in her arms, in doll form.
The doll was Kirsten Larson, Brie explained, a Pioneer girl from American Girl. Brie took the same last name to have Kirsten be 'part of the family,' and the rest is history. Literally: the Kirsten Larson doll was officially retired in 2010. But luckily for fans, Brie Larson is still going strong on the big screen!