Brie Larson Stands Up for Journalists in 'Kong: Skull Island' Instagram Post

Nick Schager
·Writer
Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston in ‘Kong: Skull Island’ (Warner Bros.)
Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston in ‘Kong: Skull Island’ (Warner Bros.)

A year after winning the Best Actress Oscar for her lead performance in Room, Brie Larson is set to have a big 2017, thanks to her starring turns in Kong: Skull Island, Free Fire, and The Glass Castle. Kong arrives first, on March 10, and in advance of its debut, Larson has taken to Instagram to express her pride over her role in the monster-mash spectacular — as well as to make a subtle, if unmistakable, political point.

I make movies as a form of activism. I believe we learn from what we see in our leaders. I'm proud to play Mason Weaver in @kongskullislandmovie because she represents the many journalists who risk their lives everyday to share with us the truth. Weaver leads with compassion and believes that unity cannot be obtained through aggression. I'm excited to share this film with you. And in the meanwhile I'm thrilled to have this platform as a way to connect us. Let's work together. Lets be open to learning from each other.

A photo posted by Brie (@brielarson) on Jan 31, 2017 at 10:45am PST

Larson posted a picture of herself as Mason Weaver, a journalist who ventures to the mysterious Skull Island with a group of military men and experts that also includes Tom Hiddleston, John Goodman, and Samuel L. Jackson. While the snapshot — the actress in a helicopter, trusty camera in hand — is rather routine, Larson’s accompanying message seems designed not only to promote the movie (and her own contribution to it), but to function as a veiled rebuke to President Donald Trump’s ongoing war against the press:

“I make movies as a form of activism. I believe we learn from what we see in our leaders. I’m proud to play Mason Weaver in @kongskullislandmovie because she represents the many journalists who risk their lives everyday to share with us the truth. Weaver leads with compassion and believes that unity cannot be obtained through aggression. I’m excited to share this film with you. And in the meanwhile I’m thrilled to have this platform as a way to connect us. Let’s work together. Lets be open to learning from each other.”

Related: Tracking Brie Larson on the 2016 Oscar Circuit

Larson’s comments may not specifically mention the commander-in-chief, but it’s difficult to avoid reading her words as a response to his current campaign to de-legitimize the press with divisive claims of “fake news.” Will Kong: Skull Island contain any political overtones? For that determination, we’ll have to wait until we see the film, directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and also featuring Toby Kebbell, John Ortiz, Shea Whigham, and John C. Reilly, in theaters next month.

‘Kong: Skull Island’: Watch a trailer: