On Friday, Brie Larson posted a flashback Instagram of herself petting a dolphin that appears to be in a of tank meant solely for that purpose. "I touched a Dolphins [sic] belly while sporting a trucker hat in 2004. #noregrets #fbf," she captioned the pic, in which she looks ecstatic.
It didn't take long before she received a flood of comments from people admonishing her for seeming to support the captivity of dolphins and other cetaceans.
"Those animals are being enslaved for your entertainment. Just saying," wrote jnz1016.
"Don't support dolphins in captivity please, it's just like#Roomthemovie but for dolphins. You better than that guuuuurl," snicketysnack said, referring to Larson's 2015 movie about a kidnapped woman and her son.
Larson took these points seriously. She edited the original post, adding, "EDIT: I do not support animal cruelty." She then posted a long apology in a subsequent post.
"I forgot that through social media and random interviews you do not know all the facets of me and what my concerns are," she wrote, with a photo of herself looking at the camera quite seriously. "We should be concerned about the well-being of all animals. Yes, Dolphins. Along with every other creature. There are problems with animals in captivity. There are problems with animals living in the wild. It has always been a priority of mine to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. I apologize if the photo appeared to endorse animal cruelty."
Larson went on to invite readers to use the comments section "to discuss your thoughts, concerns, articles ANYTHING that can turn this into a moment of education for myself all who are interested." That's pretty brave, considering what some such discussions entail.