Rooney Mara: Dark Angel

There are a lot of actresses that like to say they are chameleons but Rooney Mara is the real dead. So much so that she is virtually indistinguishable in several of her earlier incarnations (aka movie roles). Of course, that was before the American remake of The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. Dying her hair jet-black and her coif cut so severe that made her angular body seem like post-modern sculpture art – she has become Hollywood’s goth version of the It-Girl. But even a cursory search on Google will turn up images of the actress that result in a double-take. Like the one below here:

No less beautiful, but virtually unrecognizable now that Rooney’s Lisbeth Salander character is imprinted on my brain. I was even stunned to find images of her laughing and smiling! Goes to show what evil typecasting can be to a young, incredibly-talented actress can succumb to if she’s not too careful. That’s why I’m hoping SIDE EFFECTS will be a huge hit for Rooney and we can see another side of this dark angel’s talent. Not that being typecast as one of the greatest female heroes in modern times would be such a bad thing.

I have a feeling whatever happens, Hollywood will continue its bad romance with Miss Mara for years to come. She’s obviously committed to her craft of full-immersion into her characters. And personally I can’t wait to see what she morphs into next.

Noomi Rapace: The New Swedish Sphinx

Noomi is beautiful. Noomi is strong. She inherits the legacy of Garbo on her own terms. Her animal magnetism brought her to international stardom the same way Garbo’s did. The big difference is Garbo never kicked anybody’s ass. She shot people, sure. But lighting them on fire? No so much. Still, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo had a vulnerability to her. Lisbeth Salander was a complex character. Her pathos was purely and utterly perfect to the times in which she exists. And nobody (sorry, Miss Mara) could touch Noomi’s performance – especially in the first movie.

Now Noomi is in America and fluent in English ( a lot faster than Garbo did, maybe because Garbo made silent movies when she first hit our shores). Noomi has been in the Sherlock Holmes piece of crap, yet came up smelling like a rose. But her true American star turn will be in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. And I think she’s going to be HUGE. Like, Ripley in Aliens huge. That’s a lot of pressure for any actress, but not Noomi. She’s got such a work ethic and professionalism – I really think she could pull off any role she set her mind to. Maybe someday she’ll tackle the most demanding role imaginable and play the original Swedish Sphinx – Garbo. Now that I have to see!!