Noomi Rapace

Surely Noomi Rapace found her Spanish blood very valuable to embody a character so full of fury, despite being a young Swedish girl. And it is that the protagonist of The men who did not love women has half Nordic blood and half Spanish blood. Who’d say!

Born in Hudiksvall (Sweden) on December 28, 1979, Noomi Rapace is the daughter of the Swedish actress Nina Norén and the Spanish Rogelio Durán, a flamenco singer from Badajoz. Her father, however, abandoned the family when Noomi was very young, and the actress did not forgive her for that. She decided never to study Spanish and when she was little she did not see Spain with good eyes. Normal…

At the age of 5 Noomi Rapace, her mother and her new stepfather went to live in Iceland, and it was there that at the age of 7 she briefly participated in a film. Although she did not have to recite any dialogue, from that moment the young lady decided that she was going to be an actress. So, when she was 15 years old, she moved to Stockholm to study acting at the Stockholm Theater School. She very soon would find her first role, that of Lucinda in the series Tre kronor (1996). She then worked on some television miniseries and short films. In 2001 she married actor Ola Rapace (with whom she has a son, Lev, born 2005), and she adapted her last name for her professional career, which she would then begin to take off.

In 2003 Noomi Rapace stood out with an important role in the drama Capricciosa . Two years later she worked on a crime thriller titled Blodsbröder . Of greater importance was the romantic drama Du & Jag (2007), where Noomi played the protagonist, Maja. And the following year she received great acclaim when playing Anna in the drama Daisy Diamond . Noomi Rapace won the best actress award at the Bodil Awards, among other accolades. Later, after reaping some success in the Labyrinth series (2007-2008), she got the role that would change her life, that of Lisbeth Salander, the key character in the Millennium trilogy, written by Stieg Larsson .and turned into a literary phenomenon throughout the world.

The actress herself explains how she got the role: “I was very surprised that they called me for an interview and then to audition for The Men Who Didn’t Love Women, because Lisbeth is described in the book as an ugly but sexy person, and this means that she could be any way. I did not think that with my ‘look’ they could choose me. But I told the director, “If you trust me and give me time, I’m going to really prepare for the part. Because I think I can bring that woman out of me. I’m going to lose weight, I’m going to cut my hair, I’m going to lose some of my femininity.” to gain more masculinity, etc. But I need time to get the character out of me.” Incredibly, he said yes. And I’m very happy.” Noomi Rapace did what she promised and worked on the character conscientiously, with an extremely demanding and long-lasting physical preparation. The result was the resounding success of the saga, completed by The Girl Who Dreamed of a Match and a Gas Can andThe queen in the palace of drafts . That character earned the actress numerous awards and nominations, but above all it was a global showcase for her talent. So from there she would jump to Hollywood.

But before her arrival in American cinema, Noomi Rapace starred in the notable drama Beyond (2010), the behind-the-scenes debut of actress Pernilla August ( Private Encounters ), as well as the Norwegian thriller Babycall (2011). She has finally entered the big door of blockbusters, thanks to Guy Ritchie , who has given her a lead role in the highly anticipated sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows . And things seem to come together, because her next release will be Prometheus , Ridley Scott ‘s long -awaited return to science fiction.