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Before Rooney Mara was set to play the anti-heroine of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, it was Swedish actress Noomi Rapace who was brave enough to take on the now-coveted role. Since her breakout role in the Millenium series, Rapace has become one of the most sought-after actresses in the States, proven by the fact that she's staring in this holiday season's anticipated blockbuster, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which hits theaters this Friday. Continue reading and get to know more about the girl making her American film debut this weekend.
Iceland
10. While living in Iceland, she was cast in a small role in the film Í skugga hrafnsins.
During Noomi's childhood, her parents moved their family out to Iceland for a few years. There, at eight years old, she landed her first movie role in the Icelandic film, which translates to In the Shadow of the Raven, about Viking Age Iceland. Although her part was non-speaking, it apparently sparked her love for acting.
School
9. At the age of 15, she left home and joined the Stockholm Theatre School.
While you spent your high school years awkwardly confined to brick walls and bulletin boards and pissing parents off with pubescent moodiness, Rapace moved out of her house to join the Stockholm Theatre School. The actress, who barely saw her Flamenco guitar-playing father growing up, decided to follow her mom’s footsteps towards acting.
Tre Kronor
8. She made her TV debut playing Lucinda Gonzales in Tre kronor.
In 1996, Rapace hit the small screen with in the famous Swedish soap opera set in a suburb of Stockholm. While the dramatic series ran for several years, from 1994-2000, the then-teenage Rapace only had a short run that lasted less than a season.
Daisy Diamond
7. She drew praise for her award-winning portrayal of a troubled teen mother in Danish film Daisy Diamond.
In 2007, Noomi garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of an up-and-coming actress whose dreams are derailed when she is forced to deal with an unplanned pregnancy. The controversial film, which intentionally blurred the lines of fiction and reality with its scenes, prepped her to take on the even darker role of Lisbeth Salander that would eventually bring her worldwide attention.
Dragon Tattoo
6. She starred in the original film adaptation of Steig Larsson’s Millennium series.
Before Fincher got his hands on the book for the American version, Rapace played the intriguing anti-heroine Lisbeth Salander in the film adaptation of the Millenium series, beginning with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in 2009. Given the famously brooding subject matter of the film, Rapace noted, “The last day, after [we filmed] the last scene, all the producers came with champagne and everybody wanted to celebrate. And I just said, 'I need to go to the bathroom,' and I just started to throw up. It was like my body was physically throwing Lisbeth out."
Fit in
5. She feels like she doesn't fit into Swedish society.
Likening herself to her former character and inherent outsider Lisbeth Salander, Rapace has admitted that she also does not fit into the country which she should call home. During an interview with Buzzine, the Hudiksvall native said, “I’ve always been a bit far away from the Swedish society and how people are supposed to fit into it. Everybody is trying to keep in this middle, normal way of behaving and end up being repressed and stoic. That’s really boring for me, and I felt like a troublemaker because I was not that way. I’ve always been outspoken.”
Guldbagge Awards
4. She won the Best Actress honor at Sweden's prestigious Guldbagge Awards.
In 2010, Rapace accepted her first Best Actress award at Sweden's prestigious Guldbagge Awards, the country’s version of the Academy Awards, for her unnerving breakout performance as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. She would later receive more praise as well as another Gulbagge nomination for her role in the Swedish film Beyond.
Sherlock Holmes
3. Her first English-speaking role is in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
While actress Rooney Mara is taking on Rapace’s claim-to-international-fame role in the American remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Rapace headed to Hollywood for her first English-speaking role in the second installment of the Sherlock Holmes series. In the expected blockbuster, out this weekend, Rapace plays a gypsy fortune teller who accompanies Holmes and Watson on their journey to capture a criminal mastermind.
Human psyche
2. She's obsessed with the human psyche.
For a girl who has made a career out of taking on roles that destroy our moral compass, it’s easy to understand Rapace’s fascination with mental functions. In an interview with Collider.com, she said, “I think I’m obsessed with the human psyche. I want to understand. I want to ask myself if I have it inside me, is it possible? I want to explore humanity and human kind. I think that what’s common for all of the things that I’ve done and all the things that I want to do is that they are all connected to some deeper things in our souls.”
Prometheus
1. She will play Elizabeth Shaw in next year's Ridley Scott movie Prometheus.
Fresh off the set of the Sherlock Holmes film, Rapace was immediately cast in director Ridley Scott’s upcoming film Prometheus, a film originally, though no longer, intended to be a prequel to the Alien movies. In the science fiction thriller, the Swedish actress will play Elizabeth Shaw, a character whom Rapace likened to Sigourney Weaver's beloved heroine, Ellen Ripley.