She may play a superhero on screen, but behind the scenes, Brie Larson has juggled insecurities just like the rest of us.
In a new interview with W magazine, the 31-year-old Oscar winner was asked what she would say to women who are struggling to keep up with unrealistic beauty standards and who do not feel represented. In answering the question, Larson candidly revealed a longtime insecurity of her own.
"I don't believe that there is a beauty standard," she told the magazine. "I struggled with feeling ugly and like an outcast for so much of my life. And so I really, really feel for that. It took me a long time to be able to be totally comfortable with myself."
The actress went on to share that what gives her "solace" is that she "can be whoever I want to be with myself."
For those who don't feel similarly, Larson has a mission. "What breaks my heart is to think of people in the world who don't feel that they have safety within their own bodies," she told W. "That, to me, is my ultimate goal in life: to do whatever it is that I can so people have the freedom to express themselves and be exactly who it is that they want to be—whatever that is—knowing that that can also change.
Over the years, the Marvel actress has become known for her candid and forthcoming attitude, whether she's poking fun at her self as a teen singer or making it clear she's not interested in phony professional work.
"I want to tell universal tales," she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016. "I've struggled watching films where people dressed well and seemed to have it together, where the worst thing that happened was they fell in front of the guy they liked at their office. I don't relate to that."
While the star sticks to playing authentic characters, she also embraces the upside of insecurity. As she tweeted to one fan who asked if she gets insecure, "All the time! But insecurity has value too - it keeps us heartfelt and tender."