Brie Larson apologies after dolphin backlash

Brie Larson received a backlash of comments about animal cruelty when she posted a photo of her with a dolphin on Instagram. Photo / 123RF

Brie Larson has apologised for upsetting fans with a picture of a dolphin.

The Room actress shared an old picture on Instagram on Friday of her rubbing one of the animals' bellies, prompting a backlash of comments pointing out animal rights activists regard keeping the creatures in captivity to be cruel.

She then amended the caption so it read: "I touched a dolphin's belly while sporting a trucker hat in 2004. #noregrets #fbf EDIT: I do not support animal cruelty.(sic)"

View this post on Instagram

I touched a Dolphins belly while sporting a trucker hat in 2004. #noregrets #fbf EDIT: I do not support animal cruelty.

A post shared by Brie (@brielarson) on Sep 2, 2016 at 10:32am PDT

But the backlash continued, so the 26-year-old star shared another post in order to reassure her fans that she is always concerned about animal welfare and is determined to speak up for those who "cannot speak for themselves".

She wrote: "I posted a photo previously that encapsulated a silly moment in my weird life. I forgot that through social media and random interviews you do not know all the facets of me and what my concerns are.

"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."

Brie went on to apologise for the impression people got from the picture and urged her followers to discuss the issue and raise further awareness.

View this post on Instagram

Yo - it's me again. I posted a photo previously that encapsulated a silly moment in my weird life. I forgot that through social media and random interviews you do not know all the facets of me and what my concerns are. 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. I don't believe any living thing deserves miss treatment. In the comments section feel free to discuss your thoughts, concerns, articles ANYTHING that can turn this into a moment of education for myself all who are interested. We gotta remember that we will make mistakes but we can learn from them, together. Much love.

A post shared by Brie (@brielarson) on Sep 2, 2016 at 2:12pm PDT

She added: "I apologise if the photo appeared to endorse animal cruelty. I don't believe any living thing deserves miss treatment. In the comments section feel free to discuss your thoughts, concerns, articles ANYTHING that can turn this into a moment of education for myself all who are interested. We gotta remember that we will make mistakes but we can learn from them, together. Much love."

- Bang! Showbiz