Alicia Vikander

Alicia Vikander

Vikander in 2015
Born Alicia Amanda Vikander
(1988-10-03) 3 October 1988
Gothenburg, Sweden
Residence London, England, UK
Alma mater Royal Swedish Ballet School
Occupation Actress, dancer, producer
Years active 2002–present

Alicia Amanda Vikander (Swedish pronunciation: [aˈliːsɪa aˈmanda vɪˈkandər]; born 3 October 1988) is a Swedish actress, dancer and producer. Born and raised in Gothenburg, she began acting as a child in minor stage productions at The Göteborg Opera and trained as a ballet dancer at the Royal Swedish Ballet School in Stockholm and the School of American Ballet in New York. She began her professional acting career by appearing in Swedish short films and television series and first gained recognition in Northern Europe for her role as Josefin Björn-Tegebrandt in the TV drama Andra Avenyn (2008–10).

Vikander made her feature film debut in Pure (2010), for which she won the Guldbagge Award for Best Actress. She attracted widespread recognition in 2012 for portraying Princess Ekaterina "Kitty" Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya in Joe Wright's film adaptation of Anna Karenina and Queen Caroline Mathilde in the acclaimed Danish film A Royal Affair, receiving a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination for her breakthrough. She went on to star in the 2013 Swedish drama film Hotell and appeared in the Julian Assange-biopic The Fifth Estate that same year.

In 2014 and 2015, Vikander achieved global recognition and acclaim for her roles as activist Vera Brittain in Testament of Youth, an AI in Ex Machina, for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress, and painter Gerda Wegener in The Danish Girl, for which she received the Academy Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress, among others.

Early life

Vikander was born in Gothenburg,[1] the daughter of Maria (Fahl) Vikander, a stage actress, and Svante Vikander, a psychiatrist. Her parents are from small villages in the north and south of Sweden, respectively.[2] They separated when Vikander was two months old,[3][4][5] and she was mostly raised by her single mother. She has five half-siblings[6] on her father's side. While growing up, Vikander says she got the best of both worlds, being an only child to her mother and being surrounded by a big family when she went to her father’s house every second week.[7] Her ancestry is Swedish and one quarter Finnish.[2]

Vikander started her career as an actress at the age of seven, starring in a production of Kristina från Duvemåla at The Göteborg Opera, which was written by the Mamma Mia! creators, Björn and Benny from ABBA; she performed in the play for three-and-a-half years.[5] She appeared in several musicals at the Opera, such as The Sound of Music and Les Misérables. In 1997 she participated in the TV4 kids' singing show Småstjärnorna; she performed the Helen Sjöholms song "Du måste finnas".[8] She won her episode with praise by the judges for her stage presence.[9]

Vikander trained in ballet from the age of nine with the Svenska Balettskolan i Göteborg (1998–2004). At the age of 15, Vikander moved from Gothenburg to train at the ballet's upper school in Stockholm; she lived on her own, working to become a principal dancer.[7] She traveled around the world for summer courses, training one summer at the School of American Ballet in New York City.[10] At the age of 16, she almost left school to fully commit to the television series she worked on with director Tomas Alfredson, realizing her passion for acting.[10] Her dance career was sidelined by injuries in her late teens.[11] She auditioned for drama school but was turned down twice.[12] At one point, Vikander was admitted to law school but she never attended, following her dreams instead to become an actress.[13]

Career

Early career

Vikander began her career by appearing in a number of short films and television roles in her native Sweden.[14] She became well known in Scandinavia for her role in the popular Swedish TV drama Andra Avenyn (2008–2010).[8]

2010–2014

Vikander and director Lisa Langseth at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival

Vikander received critical acclaim for her feature film debut, playing the leading role of Katarina in the Swedish film Pure (2010). The film centers around the troubled secretary Katarina, who desperately tries to escape her life. With this role, Vikander won the Rising Star Award in 2010 at the Stockholm Film Festival,[15] the Shooting Star Award at the Berlin International Film Festival[16] and the prestigious Guldbagge Award for Best Actress.[17] In 2011, she had the leading role of Fragancia Fernandez, who is arrested for attempted murder, in The Crown Jewels.

In 2012, Vikander gained international attention for playing the key role of Kitty in the English-language film adaptation of Anna Karenina, starring Keira Knightley. The film premiered at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival and received positive reviews.[18] That year, she added Danish to her repertoire while co-starring as Queen Caroline Mathilde in the Nikolaj Arcel feature film A Royal Affair. It had its world premiere at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival and was received with critical acclaim.[19] The film was subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards.[1][20]

Vikander was named as one of the 10 Actors to Watch: Breakthrough Performances of 2012 at the 20th Hamptons International Film Festival,[21] was nominated for BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2013,[22] and received the Editor's Choice Award at the 2013 Elle Style Awards.[23]

In 2013, she starred as German Pirate Party member Anke Domscheit-Berg in The Fifth Estate.[24] The film opened the Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2013.[25] The film garnered mixed critical reactions;[26] however, some critics praised the performances in the film.[27] She also had the leading role of Erika in the Swedish film Hotell, for which she was awarded the Marrakech International Film Festival Award for Best Actress by jury president, director Martin Scorsese.[28]

In 2014, she appeared in the Australian crime thriller Son of a Gun. The film was released in Australia on 16 October 2014 and received mixed reviews;[29] however, Vikander was praised for her performance.[30]

2015–present

In 2015, Vikander starred in six films, she was praised for her portrayal of painter Gerda Wegener in Tom Hooper's The Danish Girl, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the second Swedish actress to win this award; the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, and the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress; and received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role but lost both awards to Kate Winslet for her role in Steve Jobs[31][32][33]

She gained public recognition and critical acclaim for her starring role as Artificial intelligence Ava[34] in Alex Garland's directorial debut Ex Machina, for which she received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

She had the leading role of pacifist Vera Brittain in Testament of Youth alongside Kit Harington and Emily Watson. Testament of Youth was well received upon its release, with critics praising Vikander's performance in particular.[35][36] For her role as Brittain, Vikander was nominated for BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film. She also played the role of half-human/half-witch Alice Deane in the fantasy film Seventh Son (2015),[37] narrated the Swedish documentary Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words (2015), had the female leading role in the Guy Ritchie-directed action film The Man from U.N.C.L.E., based on the 1964 MGM television series of the same name; and appeared in the film Burnt (2015).[38]

Upcoming projects

Vikander will next be seen as the female leading roles in Tulip Fever, directed by Justin Chadwick, with Dane DeHaan and Christoph Waltz[39] and in the upcoming adaptation of the novel The Light Between Oceans (2016), directed by Derek Cianfrance, with Michael Fassbender and Rachel Weisz.[40] On 23 June 2015, it was confirmed by Deadline that Vikander will star opposite Matt Damon in Jason Bourne (2016), directed by Paul Greengrass.[41] On 30 November 2015, it was announced that Vikander will co-star opposite James McAvoy in the upcoming romantic thriller, Submergence. The film will be directed by Wim Wenders.[42] In April 2016, it was confirmed that Vikander would play Lara Croft in a new Tomb Raider film adaptation.[43]

On May 6, 2016 it was announced that Vikander set up a production company called Vikarious along with her agent Charles Collier. The company’s first film, Euphoria, a production with Sweden’s B-Reel Films, will start shooting in the German Alps in early August 2016. The film is the English-language directorial debut of Swedish writer/director Lisa Langseth, and will be Langseth and Vikander's third collaboration. Vikander will star opposite Eva Green as sisters in conflict travelling through Europe toward a mystery destination.[44]

Personal life

Vikander in 2013

Vikander lives in London.[45][46] Since 2014, she has been dating actor Michael Fassbender.[5]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2006 Standing Outside Doors Alicia Short film
2007 Darkness of Truth Sandra Svensson Short film
2007 The Rain Dancer Short film
2008 My Name is Love Fredrika Short film
2009 Susans längtan Girl in Apartment Short film
2010 Pure Katarina
2011 Jeu de chiennes The Swedish girl Short film
2011 The Crown Jewels Fragancia Fernandez
2012 A Royal Affair Caroline Mathilde
2012 Anna Karenina Kitty
2013 Hotell Erika
2013 The Fifth Estate Anke Domscheit-Berg
2014 Testament of Youth Vera Brittain
2014 Son of a Gun Tasha
2014 Seventh Son Alice Deane
2015 Ex Machina Ava
2015 Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words Narrator Documentary
2015 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Gaby Teller
2015 Burnt Anne Marie
2015 The Danish Girl Gerda Wegener
2016 Tulip Fever Sophia Completed
2016 Jason Bourne Post-production
2016 The Light Between Oceans Isabel Sherbourne Post-production
2017 Submergence Danielle Flinders Filming
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2002 Min balsamerade mor Ebba Du Rietz Film
2005 En decemberdröm Tony 3 episodes
2007 Levande föda Linda Miniseries
2007–08 Andra Avenyn Jossan Tegebrandt Björn 39 episodes
2008 Höök Katarina 2 episodes

Awards and nominations

References

  1. 1 2 Lawrence, Vanessa (December 2011). "Alicia Vikander". W (Condé Nast): 71. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 Stated on Conan, 5 May 2015, can be viewed here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCD7aEBOQwE, starting at 26:42
  3. ↑ MacNab, Geoffrey (15 September 2012). "Alicia Vikander – Make room for a new Swedish sensation". The Independent. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  4. ↑ "LĂśrdagsintervjun: ELLE mĂśter Alicia Vikander | ELLE". Elle.se. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Rob Haskell (14 December 2015). "Alicia Vikander: The Danish Girl Star Jumps Out of a Plane and Talks Overnight Fame". Vogue. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Golden Girl: Alicia Vikander | Film, Fashion". Hunger TV. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  7. 1 2 Dehn, Georgia (11 February 2015). "Why Alicia Vikander is the actress to watch in 2015". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  8. 1 2 Josefine Gustafsson (29 February 2016). "Alicia Vikander: Från ”Småstjärnorna” till Oscarsvinnare". Ystads Allehanda. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "Här deltar Alicia Vikander i ”Småstjärnorna” – som 8-åring". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  10. 1 2 Horowitz, Josh. "Happy Sad Confused- Alicia Vikander". SoundCloud. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  11. ↑ Dehn, Georgia (3 January 2015). "Why Alicia Vikander could be the actress to watch in 2015". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Shattuck, Kathryn (29 May 2015). "Alicia Vikander, Who Portrayed Denmark’s Queen, Is Screen Royalty". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "DP/30: Alicia Vikander, actor, A Royal Affair/Anna Karenina". YouTube. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  14. ↑ "Actress Spotlight: Alicia Vikander". Entertainment Fuse. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  15. ↑ "Focus on the young stars of Testament of Youth". The Daily Telegraph. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  16. ↑ "Lördagsintervjun: ELLE möter Alicia Vikander". Elle.se. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  17. ↑ "Alice Vikander". Guldbagge Award. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  18. ↑ "Critic Reviews for Anna Karenina". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  19. ↑ "A Royal Affair". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  20. ↑ "Oscars: Hollywood announces 85th Academy Award nominations". BBC News. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  21. ↑ Barylski, Nicole (4 October 2012). "Hamptons International Film Festival:Variety's Ten Actors To Watch Roundtable Discussion". Hamptons (magazine). Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  22. ↑ Dean, Sarah (7 January 2013). "BAFTA EE Rising Star Award Nominees: Alicia Vikander, Andrea Riseborough, Elizabeth Olsen, Juno Temple And Suraj Sharma". Hamptons (magazine). Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  23. ↑ Morgan, Maybelle (19 January 2015). "5 Minutes With Alicia Vikander". Elle (magazine). Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  24. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (22 January 2013). "UPDATE: Participant Media Joins DreamWorks For WikiLeaks Movie ‘The Fifth Estate’". Deadline.com. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  25. ↑ Fleming, Mike (6 September 2013). "Toronto 2013: Will Deals Take Back Seat As Buyers Focus On Fest Oscar Hopefuls?". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  26. ↑ "The Fifth Estate". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  27. ↑ Kermode, Mark (12 October 2013). "The Fifth Estate – review". The Observer. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  28. ↑ "The Winners of the Marrakech International Film Festival". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  29. ↑ "Son of a Gun". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  30. ↑ Lyttelton, Oliver (20 January 2015). "Review: Forgettable Crime Flick 'Son Of A Gun' Starring Ewan McGregor, Alicia Vikander, & Brenton Thwaites". Indiewire. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  31. ↑ "Oscar nominations 2016: The Revenant leads field, Mad Max in second place". Guardian. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  32. ↑ "Golden Globe Nominations: The Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  33. ↑ Nancy Tartaglione. "BAFTA Nominations: ‘Bridge Of Spies’, ‘Carol’ Lead – Full List – Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  34. ↑ "Ex Machina". Dread Central. Dread Central. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  35. ↑ Robey, Tim (16 January 2015). "Testament of Youth, review: 'stirring'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  36. ↑ Lodge, Guy (14 October 2014). "London Film Review: ‘Testament of Youth’". Variety (magazine). Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  37. ↑ Kroll, Justin. "'Seventh Son' finds young leads". Variety. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015.
  38. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (21 July 2014). "Jamie Dornan’s First Movie After ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ – Bradley Cooper’s ‘Adam Jones’". The Wrap. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  39. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (5 June 2014). "Judi Dench, Harvey Weinstein to Collaborate for 10th Time on ‘Tulip Fever’". TheWrap. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  40. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (19 June 2014). "Alicia Vikander Landing Leads In ‘Light Between Oceans’ And ‘Danish Girl’". Deadline.com. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  41. ↑ Jaafar, Ali (23 June 2015). "Alicia Vikander Confirmed For Bourne Sequel Opposite Matt Damon". Deadline. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  42. ↑ "Alicia Vikander Joins James McAvoy in 'Submergence'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  43. ↑ Kroll, Justin (April 28, 2016). "Alicia Vikander to Play Lara Croft in ‘Tomb Raider’ Reboot". Variety. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  44. ↑ Barraclough (6 May 2016). "Alicia Vikander, Charles Collier Set Up Production Company Vikarious". Variety. Retrieved 6 May 2016. Text "Leo" ignored (help)
  45. ↑ "Alicia Vikander: The North Star". W Magazine. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  46. ↑ "Alicia Vikander won't live in America". Expose.ie. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.

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