Brie Larson’s Self-Care Routine Involves ‘Love Is Blind’ and Games

For Brie Larson, success and well-being go hand in hand. The 35-year-old actor has starred in many successful projects like Captain Marvel And Chemistry lessons. Larson’s self-care routine guides her through every role, whether she’s playing the lead character or executive producer (or both).

“I’ve been on this wellness journey my whole life,” Larson said during an alcohol-free mixology class in early October in New York. “Once I moved, I started to be more interested in taking care of myself, because my job requires me to be able to concentrate and stay awake. There have been a lot of twists and turns with this, but I’ve been at it for a while.

With early morning calls and busy filming schedules, Larson seeks simplicity and ease in her wellness practices — she’s a big fan of TLC’s “five-minute increments.” That’s why Larson’s partnership with Thorne, a nutritional supplement brand, makes so much sense. “You can count on Thorne to get really high-quality ingredients,” she says. “That’s exactly what he says. You can smell and taste the difference.

Its must-haves are the brand’s Daily Greens Plus, Collagen Plus, Amino Complex and Magnesium Bisglycinate. “My toxic trait is that I always think I’m one product away from being unstoppable,” Larson jokes. With many upcoming projects (including his West End debut in Electra in January 2025), it appears to be on track to achieve this goal.

Here, Larson talks about her favorite ways to unwind, her advice for dealing with an overwhelming “crush,” and her penchant for misguided hobbies.

Elite Daily: Can you walk me through your ideal self-care day?

Brie Larson: Not waking up to an alarm or a dog yelling at me. Then, once I’m up, I drink water first, then have coffee, and sit outside doing New York Times“Wordle, then Connections, then Strands, and finally Spelling Bee.

Later I’ll probably do a sauna and an ice bath because it’s so good for my mental health. I also drink a lot more water. I also definitely ate breakfast at this point. Near my house there are these really good mini breakfast burritos. I would have a selection. Then maybe watching reality TV – I watch love is blind Season 7 right now – and I’m working on a puzzle.

Then I’d order takeout and change into some really comfy pajamas. There’s this brand that I love called Gelato Pique and it’s the most comfortable thing in the world. And then I played video games.

ED: Describe your role in Chemistry lessonssaid creator Lee Eisenberg Los Angeles Times that you “carry the show on (your) back”. When you take on a labor-intensive role like executive producer and lead character, how do you find balance?

BL: Did Lee say that? Wow. I try to find a balance, but it can be very difficult. I try to journal in the morning and not look at my phone for 30 minutes. Honestly, when you produce a show, it’s very difficult to have these 30 minutes. I’ve never had a baby, but I imagine that’s how it is. It consumes your whole life. But that’s okay because it’s just a period of time, and I was working with great people, and we had a lot of fun.

ED: With this kind of schedule, how do you make the most of your breaks on set?

BL: I had a lot of board games on set. Between takes we would play Code Names, Boggle or Spot It. We had several bins of board games that came with us. As I get older, I’m more interested in those little five-minute increments where I can allow myself to stop, have fun, and laugh. That’s what it’s about. Otherwise you have no stamina.

ED: You’ve described finding roles you connect with as “the most intense crush you can imagine.” It can be difficult to refocus when facing *any* type of crush. How do you do?

BL: I would define a crush as a passion for something. Right now, I have a crush on dancing. That’s all I think about. That’s all I want to do.

So no matter what type of crush you have, it’s about figuring out what you can do to be whole outside of the crush. For example, before starting a job, I really care about being punished. I work out, I take my supplements, and I’m like, “OK, I’m whole and I’m me.”

When I go into something where I feel like I’m being pulled in many different directions, I mostly know where I fit. It will change a little, but above all I know where I stand. Everyone is very different in what works for them, but my first priority is me.

ED: You are about to star in the Greek tragedy Electra. Is it sometimes difficult to differentiate between you and your character when you’re playing such an emotional role?

BL: When I take on a role, preparation is two-fold. There’s the preparation to play the character, and then there’s the preparation to not play the character. We haven’t really started working Electra However, I still need to find a routine.

Sometimes it’s as simple as taking a hot bath at the end of the day. Sometimes it’s a specific smell or a walk. But you have to invent a ritual.

It may be silly, but it’s to remind you, “I’m not playing this character anymore.” My hair is usually a big part of it. I did a film where I had a central role, so at the end of the day I was watching it on the other side. It was my way of saying, “I am me now.” Having dogs helps too. They don’t say, “Oh, great show tonight.” They don’t care.

ED: I saw on your X account that some of your hobbies include mushroom foraging and scuba diving. What else fills your cup?

BL: I enjoy niche activities like bird watching or mushroom foraging. I love being in a room with a group of people who are really focused and passionate about something.

When you have people getting together and talking about mushrooms, I participate. I also like bingo nights. I love Rotary club meetings. I went salsa dancing in Berlin once. I’m like, “Sign me up.” I feel like my life brings together these niche interests. Right now I’m really into rubber stamps.

This is also part of my work: being interested in other ways of being. On Captain MarvelI worked with all these very specialized craftsmen. There was a lady who took care of all the fur costumes in the film. She also made Chewbacca costumes. And I was like, “I’m going to need to have coffee and find out how you got on this path. How do you know this is what you’re supposed to do?”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.