Brie Larson has had such an odd career. She’s an eccentric person, and I would guess that she’s mostly going on vibes when she chooses projects. She went from smaller roles in TV shows and movies, usually comedies, then dramatically won an Oscar for Room. After her Best Actress Oscar, she tried to do the indie-princess thing, but ended up appearing in King Kong and then, several years later, signed a Marvel contract (to much dismay from the fanboys). Her most recent big project was Lessons in Chemistry for AppleTV+ (she got an Emmy nom). Now she’s going to the stage. She won the lead in a London production of Elektra, the Greek tragedy. She decided to dramatically cut her hair for the role – this pixie cut really transforms her face. Suddenly she looks like a young Olivia Colman???
Brie Larson’s bold new haircut is electric. The Captain Marvel star looked almost unrecognizable after she debuted the tightly cropped pixie cut. In a Nov. 25 Instagram post, Brie wrote, “Elektra is here.”
The 35-year-old is playing the mythological character of Elektra in an upcoming stage production of the same name for a limited run in Brighton, England’s Theatre Royal Jan. 13 through 18 and London’s Duke of York Theater, Jan. 24 through April 12.
The production will be based off classicist Anne Carson’s translation of the Sophocles-written Greek tragedy. The synopsis for the play reads: “Elektra, haunted by her father’s assassination, is consumed by grief; a need for survival; and a thirst for vengeance. When her long lost brother Orestes at last returns, she urges him to a savage and terrifying conclusion but at what cost?”
Brie will be joined on stage by actors Stockard Channing, Marième Diouf, Greg Hicks, and Patrick Vaill in the play directed by Daniel Fish.
It’s been years since I read Sophocles, because I was reading the Wiki page for Elektra like “what??” Maybe I never studied this play. Greek mythology, man. So much fun, such great roles for actors. This sounds like a really interesting career choice for Brie, and I’m sure she’ll enjoy being out of America in the coming months. As for the haircut… as I said, I would not have recognized her whatsoever. I had no idea that she looks so similar to Olivia Colman! It’s not just the haircut – the dye job makes Brie look radically different too.
Photos courtesy of Brie’s Instagram. Additional long-hair photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Backgrid.