Apple TV+’s Lessons in Chemistry has Brie Larson as both an executive producer and series lead. Doing double duty forced the ever-prepared actor to rely more on her instincts. “I couldn’t think too deeply about it, I had to just be present in the moment,” she tells Vogue.
Larson plays Elizabeth Zott, a matter-of-fact chemist who—upon being fired from her job as a lab tech—begins hosting a television cooking program for housewives, working in science lessons along the way. (However overextended, Larson still managed to figure out every last detail of her character’s personality, from her handwriting to how she chops onions.)
On the surface, Lessons in Chemistry tackles the difficulties of hosting a feminist cooking show in the 1960s, as well as the rampant sexism that Elizabeth faces as a chemist. But the show also considers grief, love, faith, and fulfillment against a socially turbulent backdrop. (The series also stars Lewis Pullman as Calvin Evans, a scientist Elizabeth meets at work, and Aja Naomi King as Harriet Sloane, Calvin’s neighbor whom Elizabeth befriends.)
Below, Vogue talks to Brie Larson about the merits of acting and producing, how she embodies her different characters, and what she likes to cook for the people she loves.
Vogue: You’re an executive producer and the star of Lessons in Chemistry. What do you look for in a story from the perspective of an actor versus a producer?
Brie Larson: With a character as rich as Elizabeth, I felt it needed deep investigation and understanding. Getting to be in it from the very beginning means that I understand why we’ve made these choices with the script. It doesn’t mean that I’m the sole decision-maker, but it means that I’m here and I’m listening to the conversations, I’m participating in those discussions. By the time we get to set, I know the crew, I know our cast, I know our sets, I know all of it, and I don’t have this first day of school [feeling], going around introducing myself and trying to figure out what I’m doing. It creates a very cohesive working environment. Making these things is a team sport, and it requires a lot of different people with a lot of different skill sets all working on the same art project with the same vision at the same time. That’s really profound. So for me, producing is about bringing all these people together so that [we have] the necessary communication, and by the time we get on set, we can have fun and we know what we’re doing.
As an actor, what drew you to Elizabeth?
I just love her. I love her honesty—that like she can’t not say what is true—that she’s a literal listener, that she just really can’t be pulled from herself. Her intelligence, humor, capacity to love—there are just so many things in her that I think are worthy of exploring and sharing.
How do you tap into her as a character?
I don’t leave myself to play these characters. I imagine it like dials—like, if you were listening to music, you turn the bass up or turn it down. That’s what it is for me with these characters. Everything lives in me, it’s just changing the volume of certain things. There are things that Elizabeth is that I am not, there are things that we are similar in, there are things that she taught me. There were times that I felt frustrated with her, there were definitely times where I was like, Just cry, Elizabeth, just show your emotions. That was hard for me because I’m a very emotive and expressive person, and so to be in constant restraint was hard. But I just loved getting to know her.
You say that you learned about yourself from Elizabeth. Can you elaborate on that?
Just the pure stamina and resilience to do this much work in that short amount of time. There were so many times when I’d be filming a scene, I’m editing past episodes, and I’m giving script notes. It’s a lot to hold at once, and things start moving so fast that you don’t get as much time as you want to really prep. You’re just going from scene to scene to scene, and so it starts to just come from instinct, and I really liked seeing what was there. I couldn’t think too deeply about it, I had to just be present in the moment. I’m so glad that I’ve been so dedicated to this craft, that I have the skill sets required to meet these moments, because I don’t want to miss my life, not even for a second. Any time I feel like I have to dig deep and discover something about myself, that’s what life is all about for me. I love it.
I know some actors keep notebooks or consume media from the period in which their project is set. How do you transport yourself to that time?
Every job is different in terms of what I feel is a requirement to best understand the character I’ve chosen to play. With Lessons in Chemistry, I broke down what things I didn’t know about. I needed to start to understand science at that time, abiogenesis. On top of it, what does her handwriting look like? Is she very neat? Is it going to be messy? Does she erase things? You start to question how she exists in the world. I’m at home chopping onions. Does she chop really fast or slow? Those are things that maybe you’re not necessarily noticing when you’re watching the show, but I think all these little choices can ultimately make for what feels like a really complete person.
I’ve heard that you’re a great cook yourself. What are you cooking for people that you care about?
I do like a slow-cook taco meat. That is a pretty big hit because I put pickles in the tacos, which seems strange, but it’s not—it’s actually quite amazing. Fried chicken, twice-baked potatoes, biscuits. Recently, I’ve gotten really into hand pies. I just go to the farmers market and buy things that look good, and then I fill the pies with them, and then I have them for the week. Roast chicken, I’ll do that from time to time. But I just love cooking, and I’m pretty comfortable in the kitchen, so I can kind of figure it out with very few things.
This conversation has been edited and condensed.
