At this point, most of us don’t expect the stars of video-game movies to be fans of the games they’re adapting. Michael Fassbender admitted he never played an Assassin’s Creed game before taking on the movie, Jake Gyllenhaal never played Prince of Persia, and I bet most of the cast of Warcraft don’t have a level 110 character laying around. Of course games and movies are different animals, but still, actors typically aren’t as dismissive of the source material when a movie is based on a book or play.
Which brings us to new Lara Croft Alicia Vikander — did her interest in games begin when she landed a multimillion-dollar role in a video game movie, or does she have some real history with Tomb Raider? Refreshingly, it’s the latter. Turns out Vikander is a long-time fan of the series, despite the fact that the series was banned in her household:
“I kept it secret — I didn’t have many girlfriends who shared that interest, but I really loved it. I did play Tomb Raider back then, even though my parents said I wasn’t allowed to.”
Hiding in your room and indulging in books/comics/games that are just a little bit too mature for your age bracket is how true fandom is born, so I trust Vikander is coming from a place of genuine affection for Tomb Raider. She also promises she’s up for the action a Tomb Raider movie will require:
“I danced for many years. I really enjoy the aspect of being able to work with my physicality. But in this, it’s going to be a whole other level. It’s always wonderful when you get the chance to try things out that you never thought you would be able to do, to push yourself and your boundaries.”
Is the new Tomb Raider going to be a great movie? Given the history of video game adaptations, probably not, but it does sound like Alicia Vikander could be a great Lara Croft. Tomb Raider is expected sometime in 2017.
(Via GamesRadar)