Everyone You Love, from Brie Larson to Rami Malek, Got Their Start in "Short Term 12"

#FACTS

It was recently announced that Destin Daniel Cretton would be directing the first Marvel movie with an Asian lead, Shang-Chi.

Never heard of him? Fair enough. He's been tinkering in the land of little-seen indie cinema for the past decade. Still, even though Cretton hasn’t helmed a big budget blockbuster before, he’s at least close personal friends with some superheroes.

For instance, he just wrapped shooting on Just Mercy, starring both Michael B. Jordan (AKA Erik Killmonger from Black Panther) and Brie Larson (your record-breaking Captain Marvel). In fact, Just Mercy marks his third collaboration with Larson, following 2017’s The Glass Castle and 2013’s Short Term 12.

So, it’s back to 2013 we go today, because on reflection (and especially given the news of Cretton’s entry into the MCU, combined with Captain Marvel’s huge box office haul last weekend), we have to take a moment to appreciate how the then up-and-coming Short Term 12 cast was actually #blessed.

If you’ve not seen Short Term 12, it’s a beautiful, heartbreaking flick about the teens at an at-risk youth centre, and their carers, who are only a few years older and wrestling with their own traumas. It's sweet and achingly sad and I love it.

Larson plays Grace, a hugely empathetic and highly capable counsellor with her own dark past. She’d go on to win an Academy Award for Room a couple years later, but it’s this film that broke her out of the child actor/pop star mould. She should have won the Oscar for this. Also, a Pulitzer. And the Nobel Peace Prize. Okay, that might be stretching it. Let's just retroactively give her the Oscar and Pulitzer, please.

Unfortunately, the movie—which cost less than a million US dollars to make—barely cracked the $US2 million mark at the worldwide box office. (Context: Captain Marvel made about that much in the time it took for you to read this sentence.)

Nonetheless, Larson scored a few awards and nominations before eventually moving onto Room and then Captain Marvel. Happy ending for Brie!

Except, she wasn’t the only one to get huge after Short Term 12.

For instance, check out this unassuming cast pic. Spot any familiar faces?

That’s right, to the far left is ya boy Rami Malek, the guy who just won an Oscar for wearing the worst fake teeth you’ve ever seen in your life Bohemian Rhapsody, which itself has grossed $US875 million worldwide. In Short Term 12—which came before Mr. Robot, even!—he plays a novice new counsellor.

Oh, and who’s that standing to his right, as a slightly more experienced worker at the centre? It’s only ya girl Stephanie Beatriz, better known as Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Also, we’d be remiss to not mention the film’s male lead (third from the right), John Gallagher Jr., who went on to play the most frustrating character in The Newsroom, which was no mean feat. However, we liked him a lot in The Miseducation of Cameron Post, and he’s pretty adorable here, so he gets a pass.

“Okay, that’s probably it,” you’re almost definitely saying aloud, as you reach to prematurely click the X on this tab and move on with your life.

Well, it turns out Short Term 12 didn’t want to turn off its star-making machine there. Because here come the kids. 

(Coarse language warning.)

Playing Marcus, one of the troubled youths who finds shelter and support from Grace and her colleagues, is Lakeith Stanfield, now famous for Atlanta, Get Out, Sorry to Bother You and doing this at the Golden Globes:

And though you may not know her name just yet, Kaitlyn Dever co-starred as another troubled charge of Grace’s. She’s been in TV world since Short Term 12, but she had a small part in Beautiful Boy and is about to get huge thanks to her leading part in Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart.

I guess you think that’s it, right? Well, okay, this time it is. But there were a lot of child actors in Short Term 12 too, so don’t be surprised if we keep hearing of megastars being farmed from this very specific small film for decades to come.

Until then, go and watch Short Term 12 already. That was basically the whole gist of this article. It’s a perfect movie, and it’s available on YouTube, Google Play, PlayStation Store and DVD. Here's hoping Cretton can bring his uniquely sensitive touch (and a brand new batch of no-names to make ultra-famous) to Shang-Chi.

Header Image: Madman Films