Rooney Mara’s transformation into Lisbeth Salander in the Daniel Craig starrer The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was undeniably one of the most iconic transformations in the history of cinema. Naturally, the actress was questioned about her process, and her response shed light on the immense effort she put in. Apart from the physical transformation, Mara delved into extensive research and reading to authentically portray her character from within.
In an interview with The Guardian, the actress thus, shared her creative process and emphasized that it isn’t fair to entirely summarize in a list format.
Roney Mara Had to Learn Many “Extreme Things” for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Rooney Mara revealed that her The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo process involved mastering various challenging skills, yet she found it a bit unfair to brief the entire experience into a simple list, which included cutting her hair and learning to ride a bike. According to her, these specific details don’t capture the true essence of the profound learning journey she underwent. As she stated in The Guardian interview,
“When I did Dragon Tattoo, I didn’t have a single interview where I wasn’t asked about the process. I had to learn so many extreme things, but it distils the whole experience down to a list of things including ‘I cut my hair’ and ‘I learned to ride a bike’. It isn’t that important.”
Just five days after accepting her role, Rooney Mara found herself traveling toward Stockholm, ready to start an immersive training regimen encompassing martial arts, skateboarding, motorcycle riding, and extensive sessions with a dialect coach.
How Rooney Mara Became The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The actress delved deep into a lot of books and research, meticulously shaping her character from the words on the pages to the vibrant presence on the screen. In the same The Guardian interview, she stated,
“I had my own protectiveness of the character the same way every other fan has,–You can’t think about that many million people when you’re doing a job.–Nothing all that interesting,–I mean, I read a lot. Interesting to me but nothing I could … nothing specific I care to label.
She also stated the director David Fincher also helped her immensely to get the part right to the t. (via The Hollywood Reporter),
“David (Fincher) made it his mission to keep me in a very safe bubble while making the film where I didn’t have to think of anything but the character.”
All in all, although the actress underwent a remarkable physical transformation, it was her mental evolution that truly made a significant impact. The multitude of efforts she poured into the movie were countless and thus deemed too numerous to be listed.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is available on STARZ to stream.
