Noomi Rapace Interview as Lisbeth Salander - Hornets' nest

I would like to talk about your character. The one you play, she's very interesting. You had a lot of hardship playing this character? What sort of preparation did you undertake? It was a challenge, on the physical side. I've been training martial arts. kick boxing, Thai boxing, boxing. My coach's name is Gago and has developed his own style. I've been practising with him. We started out... ...in September, I think, last year, about half a year before we began shooting. I also had to learn how to ride a motorbike. I got my motorcycle license in the spring as we were shooting. The first preparation was training. Not really to learn how to fight, but in order to get physically more robust and grow stronger. There are many physically demanding scenes and you probably avoid getting injured doing those if you're in better shape physically. I've also changed my diet. I had a dietician who helped me eliminate subcutaneous fat, so I'd look more masculine. I wanted her to be more... She's a bit of a tomboy. Or a girl who doesn't really like being a girl, or regarded or judged based on her being a female. So, she has a way of carrying herself... and a complex relationship with her body. She has sex with men and women. Not that she's gay... but she's a *** being who doesn't like to be regarded as one. I had long hair. Shaved it all, on one side, and then the other side. We experimented a bit. Me and Jenny Fred. And then... There's Jenny Fred. Then I got piercings in my eyebrow and all along the ear. I had my nose pierced when I was a teenager, so we were able to use that. We did one more here. What else did we do? Let the hair in my armpits grow. Well, all of those are just external features. Even harder than that, was the inner process, - and the inner preparation. - Exactly. She has a lot of potential, but can't relate to society. - Yes. - Didn't you think that she's almost super human, for being so talented? In the book, her character is a bit of a caricature. Nothing about her is believable, if we look closely to her description. She eats junk food, but is fast as lightning. She's very strong to the point of winning any fight, but smokes a lot. She's anorexic and short. Besides, the book describes her as very ugly, but most men feel attracted to her. There are many contradictions. I felt the need to take over the character. I needed to understand everything she says and does, her actions and story. I had to find that in me. So I tried to keep my mind away from the books and the fact that a lot of people had read them. Anyway, it's not very realistic. Must be difficult, playing a character from a popular book, - having to deal with expectations. - Yes. It can be annoying. It's almost impossible not to let people down. Always having doubts about our work. I try not to worry about complaints or expectations, and the potential audience of these films. When we're working, we're doing something focused and objective, without any charm, dirty and cold. At that time, we feel... It all feels very raw and distant. It's a very direct and objective work. I had to set myself apart from it all. - Sorry. - That's ok. I set a distance from it all. Everything she is must be related to me. Then, it's a gig like any other. No difference. Set apart from the books people read. - Want me to go there? - Yes. - Can we continue? - Sure. How does it feel to be part of such a big production? You've been on some films, but here you have to shoot a huge amount of scenes. I had never been part of something so long. I was in "Three Crowns" when I was 16, but for only 12 episodes and filmed over four months. - Hello. - Hello, daddy. - How are you? - Fine. I was in "Labyrinth" on a small role. I've never done anything like this. Has it's ups and downs. It's tough. Who we are begins to blur. But there's something positive... ...about doing the same for a long time. We make it our own. We live it. But it's tough. In the end, we're a mess. Is it boring playing the same character, or do you come up with new ideas - and try to deepen the performance? - It has to do with... It's a person going through a lot, who's changing and developing constantly. A lot of things happen to her in the course of the three films. But it's frustrating sometimes. I spend much time on my own. There are many scenes in which I'm alone and that can be boring. I like acting with other actors. Me and my "daddy" have just a few scenes together and it was... It was great hitting him in the head with an axe. What makes you choose darker characters? We saw you play tough and risky parts. Is it a need of yours? Or easier parts just seem fake to you? Is it only with tough parts that you enjoy performing? Not really. Usually the scripts are too simple. The characters are not well built. It's frequent that characters represent a certain person, stereotyped, simplified and shallow. It's too obvious. "This person is like this." I think that's boring, because, in real life, people are complicated. They're not just good guys or bad guys. It's complex. People are capable of doing terrible things... ...in certain moments. There's an incredible duplicity. It's much more interesting playing someone more layered. So, I've been playing unhappy, darker characters. But I don't think something has value just for being sad... ...or ugly. I think... it's just that these stories, characters and relationships are more interesting. So, if there was a great comedy script with a female part, you wouldn't think twice? I'd refuse, probably. I'm not much into comedies. I lack sense of humour, it wouldn't work. It's like... I'm interested in... ...the dysfunctional characters and relationships, the extremes, set apart from the linear, or well succeeded. I find them more interesting and genuine, by comparison with what I see in real life. There are few people so beautiful... ...and well succeeded like we see in most films. No doubt. Do you want to comment on the relationship between Lisbeth and Blomkvist? They have a special relationship present in all three books. It's a love relation, in a way. They complement each other, but have different personalities. Well, she... She's lacking on the emotional side, at first. It's hard for her to deal with feelings and other people. The relationship with Micke Blomkvist in the first film is a way for her to open up a bit. They are on a mission. There's a reason to share a room. They're both out of a job, so they take on this mission, something they have to team up for. It's natural to end up together, focused on something. It's a chance to open up a bit, without that being the obvious move. It creates a bond between them, the opportunity for her to open up to him. I think she loves him. It's a sad love, because they'll never have each other. She puts him aside, breaks that bond. She never admits anything easily, or exposes too much to him. How is it like working with Daniel Alfredson? It's good. He works very quickly, compared to other directors? Depends, but we've been moving fast. I don't know if it's his choice. Seems more like the producer's decision. He's trying to give his best under what we have. Doing everything in his reach. Sometimes I'd like... to have more time for some scenes and I think he agrees. I don't think he works too fast. He adapts and manages to take the best of the arrangement. What kind of director and filming environment you prefer? You've worked with several directors. You prefer improvising, do multiple takes or being spontaneous? Those relationships vary a lot. There are certain situations, when we have to improvise, or we're allowed to develop as we go. It's important, but it depends on the script. It's very rare a script being as good as I'd like. So, it all depends on the kind of connection we establish. I don't think it's about being cosy and have coffee and cookies. To me, it's much more important... ...to take the work seriously. The would better if it was possible to have more time to shoot. When we spend all day shooting, thinking that's it, it's done. And then, we realize it's not good, we should have done it differently. We should have repeated or shot more takes of a scene. Many times, we're forced to take decisions on the spot... ...to follow a straight line, because we want to do it right and follow the schedule. We know we don't have unlimited time to shoot and we might end up going in the wrong direction. I'd like to have more time to tackle with some of those... ...but I have no technique or special method. It depends on the people I'm working with. The actors I act with are extremely important. It all depends on that. By ourselves, we don't stand a chance, no matter how good we are, or as much as we put into the character. If people around us don't work as hard as we do, it becomes very difficult, I think. Actors like Stellan Skarsgård and Daniel Day-Lewis never watch their own movies. Maybe the première, but it's rare. - Does that bother you too? - Yes. What might be the reason? Usually, it's the great actors that struggle with that. It's almost contradictory, those actors are never satisfied with the result, - because it's not perfect. - That's it, exactly. We can't be satisfied. That's why we go on. There are certain aspects... If we want to improve, if we feel we can do better... ...there's a motivation to keep trying harder. But there's also... We have an idea of how we sound, of how we are, but never truly represents reality, how we perceive it. I try to free myself of my own complexions, of my vanity and inhibitions when I act a part, so that my personal issues don't interfere. It's easy to give in to all that and to our vanity after seeing a finished take. I can watch one of my movies after I'm completely done with it, but not in the process of making. And I never like what I see. It's very rare. Afterwards, I'm able to hold memories of the film. I then realize how Peter Andersson and me gave our best on that horrible scene. We gave it all beyond our limits. We took our connection to its maximum. Afterwards, I don't feel so embarrassed anymore. It doesn't matter if the result is good or not, because I know we gave our best. No matter if it's wrong or right. At least, it was something genuine at that time. And then... Then I'm capable of feeling satisfied. Do you feel the same when acting in scenes like on "Daisy Diamond", where you had a lot of responsibility? Did you feel satisfied in having that courage to perform lead? I'm only satisfied if I feel I got something genuine with the people I'm working with. I don't feel personal satisfaction in having that sort of courage, that's not what I feel. There's always a struggle with the script and conflicting opinions, because we agree to make a movie, with a certain script. I owe to myself giving the best of me. If there are things I'm not willing to do, I should say it beforehand: "I don't want to do this scene." In that case, they might remove it or re-write it. But when we compromise on doing something, we must do what it takes, no matter what. There are certain things I won't do. I got personal limitations. Personally, I know what I'd never do, what I would never let happen to me. And I haven't done those things. The most important is trusting the people we're working with. Always.