Brie Larson Gave ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ Fans the Christmas Gift They’ve Been Waiting a Decade For
Actor Brie Larson may be a superhero, but she’s also got some musical talent. Though her career as a teenage pop star didn’t exactly work out, she’s now an Oscar-winning celebrity with an impressive voice. And she showed it off in the form of a present many of her fans have been asking for for a long time.
Brie Larson starred in ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’
Long before she was Captain Marvel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Larson was known for a handful of roles. On TV, she starred in the short-lived WB series Raising Dad, before making waves in the popular Showtime dramedy United States of Tara. But her movie presence was relatively limited.
One of Larson’s first notable film gigs came when she portrayed Envy Adams in the 2010 cult hit Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The star-studded cast also included Michael Cera as the titular character and several other big names in small roles, such as Larson’s future Avengers: Endgame co-star Chris Evans.
Her character sang the song ‘Black Sheep’ in the movie
In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Cera’s character tries to win over Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Ramona Flowers. But first, he must take down her evil exes. While doing so, his own ex-girlfriend returns: Envy Adams, the lead singer of The Clash At Demonhead, who recently became a big star.
The band and Envy take the stage at Battle of the Bands, where she sings a song, “Black Sheep.” The song was written by the real-life band, Metric, whose lead singer, Emily Haines, served as inspiration for Larson’s character. However, in the movie, the actor performed the song herself.
For the 10th anniversary, Edgar Wright announced a new version
When the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World soundtrack was released, the version of “Black Sheep” is one that was recorded by Metric, with Haines singing. This was at the request of the band, who had played but never released the song themselves. However, many fans wanted the version from the film.
In August 2020, much of the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World cast, along with writer-director Edgar Wright, celebrated the tenth anniversary of the film’s release. Wright later announced a surprise: A “special edition” of the soundtrack with “unreleased songs” including “that Black Sheep version you’ve been asking about for TEN YEARS.”
Larson shared her own rendition on her YouTube channel
While Larson did not participate in the cast reunion, she did acknowledge the anniversary. And on December 24, 2020, she released a video on her YouTube channel where she sang and played the guitar, riffing on fan requests. One asked for the “Black Sheep” cover, and she delivered a snippet.
“Sang about your hopes for 2021 on the channel today,” she wrote on Twitter. “It filled my soul. And also finally fulfilled your oft requested hope for 2020: Black Sheep cover.” In the full video, Larson sang just the first verse and chorus, telling her viewers, “Now you’re just going to have to fight to get the second part of the song out of me.”