Brie Larson and Young 'Room' Co-Star Jacob Tremblay Bonded Over 'Star Wars'
Brie Larson knew she had to forge a tight bond with Jacob Tremblay, her precocious young costar in the tense thriller Room. The 26-year-old actress would be not only be playing Ma to the 8-year-old’s Jack, but the two would be holed up in some very claustrophobic confines for much of the Toronto-filmed production.
And, well, there’s one movie series that can bring people from all walks of life, and all ages, together. “We went to a pizza parlor and he had these little Star Wars Lego figurines, and I asked him some questions about Star Wars,” Larson told Yahoo Movies (watch above). “And once he knew that I could talk shop regarding Star Wars, then it was easy.”
The two actors are now both drawing major kudos (and awards buzz) for the Lenny Abrahamson-directed film based on Emma Donoghue’s novel about a young woman who, along with her 5-year-old son, is held captive in the backyard shed of a kidnapper.
Related: Meet TIFF 2015’s Breakout Child Actors from ‘Room’ and 'Beasts of No Nation’
Larson is quick to caution that though he’s so young, the revelatory Tremblay (who previously appeared in The Smurfs 2) is no amateur. “He’s an actual actor, he’s not a kid that we tricked to get a performance out of,” she said.
“He was my partner in crime, he was my best friend, he was my coworker, he was right there. He spent just as many hours on set as I did. He was an equal participant.”
He might soon be her co-Oscar nominee, too.
Room opens Oct. 16.
Watch Larson talk about how she tapped into her own tough childhood to play Ma:
