Noomi Rapace Interview For ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’

Robert Downey Jr reprises his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law returns as his formidable colleague, Dr. Watson, in ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.’ Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large – Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) – and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder–a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by one Professor Moriarty.

Mixing business with pleasure, Holmes tracks the clues to an underground gentlemen’s club, where he and his brother, Mycroft Holmes (Stephen Fry) are toasting Dr. Watson on his last night of bachelorhood. It is there that Holmes encounters Sim (Noomi Rapace), a Gypsy fortune teller, who sees more than she is telling and whose unwitting involvement in the prince’s murder makes her the killer’s next target. Holmes barely manages to save her life and, in return, she reluctantly agrees to help him. The investigation becomes ever more dangerous as it leads Holmes, Watson and Sim across the continent, from England to France to Germany and finally to Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead as he spins a web of death and destruction–all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history. ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ is set for release December 16th 2011.

Joining this huge movie in your first English-speaking role, what was the biggest challenge for you?

Noomi Rapace: The language thing, definitely the language thing (laughs). Because I didn’t speak English 3 years ago, and for me to find a way to be free and to be able to live in this language, instead of pretending or feeling like your stuck in this sort of prison of control…you can do perfect lines, but you can’t improvise and you can’t ad-lib, that was my biggest concern before we started. And then just after a week I forgot about it, it was incredible. It was the way they worked, those boys are fantastic. They were so funny and easy and they just grabbed me, hugged me, supported me – I kind of forgot I was nervous. In the end I had so much fun.

Like you said, the way Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law and Guy Ritchie work, improvising and changing things up on set, what was that like for you to have that sort of freedom?

Noomi Rapace: I really liked it because it gives you…you need to be there, you need to be super focused and open, to go with whatever’s coming. I got used to working like that, to not be in complete control, to just jump into and say, “What are we gonna do today?” They way Robert, Guy and Jude work, it’s very much a team work. It doesn’t matter who comes up with a great idea, everybody is there to make something incredible and fun, it was amazing to work like that.

How was it for you shaping this character, I can imagine that being interesting? She had some great clothes!

Noomi Rapace: Oh thank you (laughs). I was really involved in finding her look, the costume designers were absolutely fantastic. We were trying things, we were talking to Guy. In the beginning, in the first draft of the script I read, she was described as a French gypsy with a French accent. And then we tried that and it felt like maybe we have seen that before, it seemed a little bit done. So I said to Guy, “Why don’t we add the old Romani, the old gypsy languages, and switch a couple word into Romani.” So he was like, “Yeah, brilliant, fantastic.” He was so supportive and open. Guy is very creative, he welcomes ideas. It made everything so fun.

What surprised you about working with Robert Downey Jr?

Noomi Rapace: That he’s really sensitive and he’s really interested in what you have to say, he was always asking me, “What do you think Noomi? How would you do this?” So I’d whisper, “Maybe I have this idea,” and he’d be liked, “Tell me,” then I’d tell him and he’d be like, “EVERYBODY, NOOMI HAS THIS GREAT IDEA, WE SHOULD DO THAT!” (Laughs) He was absolutely so loving, so humble, so sweet. He’s super intelligent, it feels like he sees things that nobody else would even reflect on. You have to be super focused and there with him, then it feels like anything can happen. He’s one of the greatest. He’s always exploring things, scanning his surroundings, he has a very sharp eye. His Sherlock is almost like he’s dancing around, I like the way that he’s doing it in a very playful and fun way.