True Grit

As the star of this year’s biggest blockbuster, the tomb raider reboot, Alicia Vikander is a modern action hero we can stand behind. The oscar-winning actress opens up about shedding her fear of tall-poppy syndrome, learning to speak out, the realities of married life and the joy in taking a break.

- Lotte Jeffs

ALICIA VIKANDER HAD ME AT “HALLÅ”. The Oscar-winning Swedish actress, who is starring in 2018’s biggest blockbuster, Tomb Raider, and happens to be married to the equally bankable Michael Fassbender, turned up to breakfast at London’s Haymarket Hotel five minutes early. Her cheeks were flushed from having walked the 52 minutes from north London (a perfect opportunity to catch up on the phone with her dad), hair swept back into a messy ponytail, wearing skinny jeans, white trainers and a chunky grey jumper. She doesn’t like to stand out, which she tells me is very Swedish, as her homeland suffers from tall-poppy syndrome. “You shouldn’t be too good, or do something different… In a way it’s great to grow up with that, as it makes you very grounded, but also a bit scared of standing out and making a big leap away from the rest of the group.”

Vikander took that leap at 15, when she moved from her family home to attend ballet school in Stockholm, and she’s been outgrowing the poppy field ever since. Critically acclaimed performances in Anna Karenina, Ex Machina, The Light Between Oceans, plus a best supporting actress Oscar for The Danish Girl, have led her to take on every video gamer’s fantasy, Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. The film is a prequel to Angelina Jolie’s 2001-2003 franchise (so Lara Croft is younger this time round), which, even back then, before social media, grossed a massive $550 million. It brings with it millions of dollars worth of merchandising opportunities (hands up for an Alicia Vikander action figure) and a whole new level of global recognition for this unassuming star.