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

Filmmaker Guy Ritchie returns to direct ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,’ the follow-up to the smash hit ‘Sherlock Holmes.’ The sequel also reunites Robert Downey Jr as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law as his formidable colleague, Dr. Watson. Jared Harris (TV’s ‘Mad Men,’ ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button‘) joins the cast as the notorious Professor Moriarty. Also joining the film, in her first English-speaking role, is Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, who gained international attention in the Swedish film ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.’ Stephen Fry (‘Alice in Wonderland,’ ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire‘) plays Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s older brother. ‘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.

What was it like getting adjusted to Guy’s style of directing?

Noomi Rapace: From most movies I had done before, I’ve done a lot of preparation, and I’ve known about them long before and I’ve prepped and I’ve changed my body, and I’ve done research and all the things you can imagine before. But on this one, I met Robert and Susan Downey)maybe six or seven weeks before we started to shoot. It was a good, quick meeting in LA. And we didn’t really talk about Sherlock Holmes, but we talked about movies and dreams, and I remember Robert asking me, “How do you want to work?” and, “What movies do you want to make?” It was really super intense (laughs). And I walked out of that meeting and called my manager and was like, “Wow. Those two are amazing. I would love to work with them.” And then Warner Brothers wanted to send me over to London to meet Guy Ritchie. I was there for an hour and we talked, and it was also very intense. I came out of that meeting and was like, “Whoa, I would love to work with those people.” But I didn’t expect anything. And then, I think it was like a week or two weeks later, they wanted me to do this role. And then we started to shoot like three weeks later.

I just kind of jumped into it, and it was super intense and so much fun – and I was really nervous before! It was my first English-speaking movie, so I didn’t really know how to deal with it and how it would be for me. But the way Guy works, it was very playful and easy and creative. So it felt like he embraced my ideas. And it felt like we created this character together, in a way. And I was surprised at the way they just opened their family for me, and I became one of their boys, pretty much. And the way Guy works, I don’t remember a single situation when I came out on set and Guy said, “Okay, this is what I want you to do, exactly.” He always asked me, “How do you want to do this, Noomi?” Or, “How do you see this?” And, “What do you think Sim would have done?” And that’s pretty much the way I love to work. In a very searching, creative, open way. It was fantastic.

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 on ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’?

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.

What was the most difficult scene you had to do, emotionally or physically?

Noomi Rapace: I like doing fight scenes and those more physical scenes. I always enjoy that, and I try to do as much as they allow me to do of the stunt stuff and the more complicated things. So I think that’s always quite easy, you just have to crack on and do it. And, of course, you’re bruised and your body is aching and you hurt yourself, a lot, sometimes. But that’s a part of it. And I’ve done fight scenes and stuff like that before, and I always find it quite amusing. In the end, when I lose a person that I really love and that I feel guilty for letting down, that was quite complicated because you need to really get into that situation. And it was a lot of people around me. It was a room full of people, and everybody was watching. And you feel like, in a way, you just want to hide and do it really private, but of course you need to do what’s real in the situation. So I think it’s always the emotional situations that are more tricky to nail and to get into, because I don’t like to pretend. I try to use things in me and translate them into the situation and the character. So it always needs to run through my own veins, in a way. So it was emotional scenes that were more difficult, because I’m really self-critical as well. So I don’t want to pretend.

You’re also in Ridley Scott’s ‘Prometheus.’ How has your experience been in Hollywood movies?

Noomi Rapace: I think I’m really spoiled now (laughs). This was the first American or English-spoken movie I did. I didn’t know what to expect before. But the way those people worked, and the way we worked together was just amazing. We were in London all the time. I kind of forgot that because it felt like we were in different places. But it felt like we went through things together. And it felt like me, Guy, Robert, Jude Law, we came closer and closer in this group. It was really fantastic. I’ve heard that you’re waiting around and you sit in your trailer and wait, and then you go in and do something and then you go back to your trailer and wait. I don’t remember waiting at all, so I was extremely happy. And then I went, amazingly enough, straight into Ridley’s movie, I started to prep ‘Prometheus’ straight after. And I was in that movie for five, six months. So it was a really intense year! And now I’m here (laughs). And I’m really grateful. For those people that believed in me and gave me the chance, and invited me to this journey. I’m extremely grateful and proud.