There are various movies that often end up taking inspiration from one another. Harrison Ford’s Blade Runner had been a rather cult classic film that only added to his already massive filmography. Having worked on so many films, there is no doubt that there would be certain aspects of at least one of them that add to another movie, one that also impacts the fans just as darkly.
Ridley Scott’s film had already established itself as one of the most interesting movies. However, what many might not expect is how David Fincher ended up taking a significant amount of inspiration from the movie for his 2011 film, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Daryl Hannah’s Pris was responsible for Lisbeth’s look.
Harrison Ford’s Blade Runner Gave David Fincher the Best Idea
Harrison Ford’s Blade Runner included the character of Pris, who had a visual aspect that seemed to catch David Fincher’s attention almost immediately. For the November 2023 edition of Empire Magazine, David Fincher talked about just what got him to
“I thought that was the most amazing shot, when she takes that airbrush and connects the two orbital sockets with this line right through. It’s such an interesting thing because we’re so used to the nose being the division of a face. This makes you feel like someone’s looking through a letterbox. It’s scary eyes looking through your letterbox.”
According to him, he found it to be rather astonishing as to how Pris looked like she was looking through a letterbox the entire time. Her chalk-white face had a dark hint of blue across her eyes that made her seem almost eerie. That was exactly what Fincher wanted to add to his Lisbeth. He was inspired by how scary Pris managed to look with such a minute change in her physical features. The key can often be visual aspects so minute, that many might not think too much about it.
David Fincher Wanted Rooney Mara to Look Scary
Rooney Mara being cast as Lisbeth in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a decision David Fincher put a lot of thought into. Scarlett Johansson had been a strong contender for the role but had later been rejected, many believing that the case had been because she was too pretty. However, that was far from it, Fincher simply wanted someone who could look scary as well.
In Rooney Mara, with those bleached eyebrows, he found his protagonist for the movie. From then on, there was no going back. He visually based her character on Blade Runner’s Pris and the inspiration he got because of that was one he appreciated dearly.
