14
But her teenage years werent all razzle-dazzle, she tells Bustle.
But Larson was living a double life, so to speak.
On screen, she played the member of a clique.
Off, she longed for community.
Nearly 20 years later, Larson has taken that longing and channeled it into her craft.
Teenhood is so incredibly cinematic, she tells Bustle.
You dont need to hold everything inside of you, she says.
Below, Larson talks about feeling like an outsider, hormones, and Death Cab for Cutie.
Take me back to when you were 14.
How would you describe your adolescence?
When I was 14, I felt different from everybody else.
I was a loner.
I felt completely misunderstood, so I isolated myself.
I struggled with beinginsecure about how I looked.
I had anxiety and depression.
So as a teen, you already felt like acting gave your life more meaning?
Art was always my way through.
Art helped me make sense of what was happening inside of me.
At 14, you also appeared in13 Going on 30.
Did you identify more with Jenna Rink ora Six Chick?
I didnt identify as anything at that time.
I think that was part of the struggle.
I was auditioning to play kids in high school and junior high, and they were cliche roles.
The girl next door, who is messy and misunderstood, or the popular girl.
And Id always end up auditioning for both, but [felt like] neither.
Do you believe mean girls are often misunderstood?
It doesnt matter who you are: No one escapes this period of time.
We all have to go through [growing up].
The question is how quickly you’re able to metabolize that process.
The hormones come in, then the thoughts, and you just get taken on this ride.
What do you do in your everyday life to connect with your inner teen?
Im so lucky [because] my job is to emote.
I told my mom I wanted to be an actor when I was really little.
I started auditioning when I was 7.
So if Im on set and acting, Im honoring that 7-year-old.
Ive wanted to be a writer since I was 8 years old!
Every time I sit down to write, Im writing for that 8-year-old.
What do you think 14-year-old Brie would think if she saw you today?
I dont think shed be able to comprehend my life.
I mean, it felt so impossible.
I wanted to be an artist, an actor, so badly.
And I still have more time.
Everything seems so impossible when youre a teenager.
You feel everything so potently.
Every day is the end of the world or the greatest day of your life.
As youve gotten older, have those emotions begun to feel more muted?
My intuition has only gotten stronger as Ive gotten older.
I just feel all day!
But the ripeness of those emotions is part of what makesGrowing Upso vulnerable to watch.
Was there an age you were obsessed with turning when you were a teen?
No, but I obsessed a lot about turning 30.
I wanted to keep holding on to my 20s.
I wanted toidentify with [my youth].
But Ive realized now that time is good.
Is there a song that instantly transports you back to your teen years?
There are a bunch of Arcade Fire songs.
Or Death Cab for Cutie.
I was a super moody teenager.
What about theposters on your walls?
I had their posters.
I was painting all over my walls.
Lyrics from songs I connected with.
But I dont now.
Im not there anymore.
Do you still listen to that music at all?
Now Im like, Id much ratherlisten to Harry Styles.
Its so nice that teenagers today have Harry Styles.
I dont need to go back to that dark place.
What do you think teenagers primarily care about in 2022?
What do they want adults to know?
Pressure to be perfect.
Pressure to act a certain way.
Pressure to know who they want to be.
But when youre a teen, youre too young to know your desires.
Youre barely learning how to deal with whats going on internally and at school.
So I think we need to cut our young people some slack.
Youre always growing up.
They look at us, thinking were walking around like, I know whats going on.
But I dont have a clue whats going on!
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
This article was originally published onSep.
