You know her award-winning performances on the big screen, but there are a few nuggets you might not know about the famously private actress...
It’s safe to say that Alicia Vikander can take on any role given to her. From portraying a female android in Ex Machina to stepping in Angelina Jolie’s combat boots to play Lara Croft in the popular Tomb Raider franchise, the Oscar-winning Swedish actress keeps proving her chameleon-like qualities on the silver screen. And while we know the film star from her gripping cinematic performances, her life beyond the film sets, red carpets and Louis Vuitton campaigns remains enigmatic.
Having no social media and granting only a few interviews (one of which was for Vogue Scandinavia’s June/July issue), Vikander prefers to keep parts of her life private, understandably. However, the actress has shared some details over the years, and below, Vogue Scandinavia has picked the ones you may not have been aware of.
She has lost two roles to Kristen Stewart
After moving to London to take a stab at acting in English-language films, Vikander auditioned for the role of Snow White in the 2012 fantasy film Snow White and the Huntsman. Unfortunately, however, the part was snatched by a fellow striking brunette, Kristen Stewart. In 2016, a possibility to appear in Olivier Assayas’ otherworldly fashion thriller Personal Shopper looked hopeful as Stewart, who was lined up for the lead role, ran into scheduling problems. Nonetheless, Stewart got her timetable sorted and in the end, was able to take the part.
Alicia Vikander playing the lead in another Olivier Assayas’ hit, Irma Vep (2022). Photo: Carole Bethuel/HBO
She has her own film company
As Vanity Fair aptly stated in 2016: “Apparently there really isn’t anything this woman can’t do.” Launching her own production company Vikarious Productions in 2016, the then 27-year-old Vikander proved that she is perfectly capable of excelling in front of the camera and behind it. Vikarious Productions presented its first feature film, Euphoria, in 2017, with Vikander starring alongside Eva Green. The film was written and directed by award-winning Swedish auteur Lisa Langseth, who was also the one who initially discovered Vikander.
Alicia Vikander on the set of Irma Vep, which she also co-produced. Photo: Carole Bethuel/HBO
She's learnt two new languages for work
After Vikander’s performance in the award-winning 2010 film Pure, the actress garnered international interest and was cast as the lead in the 2012 Danish historical drama A Royal Affair. However, there was one minor problem: she didn’t speak Danish. With the dedication and determination Vikander is known for, the actress spent eight weeks learning the language, and when it was time to film, she mastered it.
In 2019, another role required Vikander to take up language lessons – this time, in Japanese. For her lead role in Netflix’s The Earthquake Bird, a thriller about a deadly love triangle in 1989 Tokyo, Vikander went through an 8-week intense course in Japanese, and at least for a non-Japanese speaker, she nailed it. For the same title, the actress also had to learn how to play the cello.
Alicia Vikander as Lucy Fly in The Earthquake Bird. Photo: Netflix
She is very passionate about women’s rights
Although Vikander is more restrained when speaking about her personal life, the actress is very outspoken when discussing women’s rights and sexual abuse. Advocating for a positive change in the film industry known for issues such as gender inequality and male entitlement, in 2017, together with 600 other Swedish actresses, Vikander signed an open letter against sexual abuse.
Yearning to get to the roots of these societal issues, Vikander has also taken a course in unconscious bias, gaining valuable insight into the history of how women have been taught to think and how that affects our society today.
Alicia Vikander with fellow actors Emma Stone and Michelle Williams at Louis Vuitton Cruise 2020 fashion show. Photo: Getty
She trained as a ballet dancer
Vikander took up ballet already at the tender age of four. The hobby swiftly became a lifestyle and a potential career path, as she got accepted to Royal Swedish Ballet School and moved to Stockholm alone at the age of 15. However, ballet's strenuous and demanding nature took its toll on the actress both mentally and physically, where a chronic back injury sealed her fate of not becoming a professional dancer.
Nonetheless, Vikander’s ballerina background has proved immensely useful in her acting career. Providing her with that rigour and discipline that dancers tend to have, Vikander’s athletic background has given her the patience and tenacity to hone her performances to perfection. Her ballet background was what helped the actress score her breakout role in Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina (2012).
Alicia Vikander as Kitty in Anna Karenina (2012). Photo: Working Title Films/StudioCanal
