The great American author, Napoleon Hill, once said that victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting. This classic adage has proven true time and over again and another person who exemplifies this is Brie Larson. The Hollywood star endured an impoverished childhood but refused to give up on her dreams of becoming an actress.
Even when Larson finally made it to Hollywood, she struggled for years to break through and at some point, dumped acting and tried her hands at animal training, photography, and interior decoration. Larson later got back to her calling and has overly excelled in the field. She has featured in several highly-acclaimed projects and won numerous accolades, including an Oscar. She now uses her fame and platform for advocacy and in 2019, Time Magazine named her to their list of the 100 most influential persons in the world. Despite her current fame and fortune, Larson has not forgotten her humble beginnings.
Living Through Hard Times With Her Mom And Sister
The actress was born Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers in Sacramento, California, United States, on October 1, 1989. She has French-Canadian roots, courtesy of her dad, and basically spoke just French as a child. Larson spent her formative years in California alongside her younger sister, Milena. Her parents, Heather and Sylvain Desaulniers owned a homeopathic chiropractor centre and they used the proceeds to take care of their children.
Things, however, became difficult after the couple divorced when Larson was six. Her mother didn’t get much in the settlement and so, she moved her kids to a studio apartment in L.A. The trio had to share just one room and a bed. They didn’t have much to eat, often existing on ramen noodles, and the few clothes they had came from the thrift store. Despite this material lack, Larson revelled in the close relationship she had with her mom and sister. She also tried to reach out to her father but had to give up when it became obvious that he was not equipped to be a parent.
Her Initial Foray into Acting And Subsequent Breakthrough
While most of us go through life trying to find our calling, Brie Larson had no such troubles. The young girl realized that she wanted to be an actress at the age of six and shared her dreams with her mom. She subsequently auditioned for and got accepted into the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco at the age of six, the youngest person ever so admitted. This feat convinced her mom that she had a star on her hands, thus, upon the divorce, the lady moved them out to L.A. so that her talented daughter could pursue her passion.
In L.A., Larson’s mom gladly took her from one audition to the next and she landed her first role at the age of nine in an episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The following year, Larson made her film debut in Special Delivery in which she played Little Angel. She subsequently went on to land parts in several movies and TV series before the two projects that changed her life, United States of Tara and Short Term 12.
Breakthrough on United States of Tara and Short Term 12
The United States of Tara was a comedy series that debuted in 2009 and revolved around Tara, a suburban mom suffering from a dissociative identity disorder. In the series, Brie Larson portrayed Tara’s sardonic and troubled teenage daughter, Kate. The California native nailed her performance with such perfection that she received praise from several quarters, including the New York Times.
Following that exemplary outing, Brie Larson went on to feature in a string of other projects until the 2013 indie film, Short Term 12, made her a household name. Short Term 12 is a drama about a bunch of troubled teenagers living in a group home. Larson portrays their emotionally-stressed supervisor, Grace, who tries to help them but keeps on failing. The film received several accolades, including the Jury Narrative Feature Award and the Narrative Audience Award at the South by Southwest Festival. It also led to an Oscar buzz around Larson but that never materialized.
Her Unforgettable Performances in Room and Captain Marvel
Brie Larson may have been overlooked for an Oscar back in 2014 but that oversight has been remedied as she took home a statuette in 2016. This was for her excellent performance in the indie drama, Room. In the film, Larson portrayed the role of a kidnapped woman who spends several years in captivity and eventually gives birth to a child for her captors. To prepare for this role, the actress spent days in isolation and also basically starved herself. All these efforts paid off as she went on to not only win the Oscar for best actress but also the BAFTA, SAG, and Golden Globe Awards in that same category.
Since that Oscar-winning turn, Larson’s career has surged forward and in 2019, she played the titular role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe first female-led film, Captain Marvel. The movie grossed $1.1 billion and Larson was rewarded with a paycheck of about $5 million. This is unarguably her biggest paycheck to date and the actress now has a net worth of $10 million, accumulated from her acting fees. Larson has meanwhile revealed that she is scared of her fortune as she doesn’t need all that much to get by. The actress, therefore, spends the bulk of her fortune helping out those in need and derives much pleasure from doing so.
Details Of Her Broken Engagement To Alex Greenwald
Brie Larson is quite hesitant when it comes to talking about her personal life but she used to be engaged to American record producer and musician, Alex Greenwald. Greenwald is equally a native of California and was born in 1979. He is the lead singer for the rock band, Phantom Planet, and with them, he has dropped eight albums, including The Guest, Raise the Dead, and Polaroid. He also has at least one solo album titled Yo.
Larson and Greenwald began dating in 2013 and got engaged in March 2016. During this period, their love grew in leaps and bounds and the actress sent shout outs to her man during her acceptance speeches for the numerous awards that she won during the 2016 awards season. The couple’s bond was too good to be true with fans anticipating nothing more than a fairy-tale wedding. However, their wedding didn’t come forth as their engagement ended in January 2019 – for an unknown reason.
See Also: The In and Out of Abbie Cornish’s Movie Career, Relationship Timeline and Affair With Phillippe
Meet The New Man In Her Life
Following that breakup, Larson has found love again in the arms of American actor, director, and musician, Elijah Allan Blitz. Blitz is a native of Santa Barbara and has released a few singles. He has also worked on some short and indie films and is a virtual reality guru as well. He has directed virtual reality experiences for clients such as HBO, PBS, and Time Magazine and has an Emmy nomination for his works.
Larson and Blitz first made their relationship public in August 2019. The couple has been together since then and quarantined together during the coronavirus lockdown of 2020. On the 15th of June 2020, they were spotted out shopping for some groceries at the farmer’s market. The pair wore casual outfits, jeans and t-shirt for Blitz and sweater and denim shorts for Larson, and also had on their face masks per CDC guidelines.
