Star Of the North

Alicia Vikander has had a meteoric rise to fame, from Hollywood Ingénue to Oscar winner and face of Louis Vuitton

- Fabrice Gaignault

Before her, there were the other Swedish greats: Greta Garbo and, later, Ingrid Bergman, both actors whose star power was nothing if not intimidating. Can the latest Swedish export to Hollywood, Alicia Vikander, become as famous one day as her glorious forebears? Alicia, 27, appears to be in control of Hollywood. For her role in The Danish Girl, she received a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award in February. She appears in the latest Jason Bourne, is following in Angelina Jolie’s footsteps as the new Lara Croft, and can currently be seen in The Light Between Oceans.

What is the secret of her success? Clearly lots of talent, driven by a powerful desire to be in control – to the point where she’s launched a production company Marie Claire met her in Rio de Janeiro to discover more.

Nicolas Ghesquière, creative director of Louis Vuitton, claims to adore you because you know how to be different without betraying your beliefs.

In movies, my work involves inhabiting a completely different persona each time; and I’m always nervous about settling into some sort of comfort zone – of doing the same thing over and

Nicolas chose you to be the muse of Louis Vuitton. How does that fit in with your acting career?

It ties in well. I wore an haute corture gown for the first time a few years ago at Cannes. It was a real work of art, created by Nicolas. What I love about him is that when he designs for women in general, he knows how to help them express themselves as strong women. Think of those women who model for him sometimes, like Michelle Williams, Jennifer Connelly or Charlotte Gainsbourg, who I’ve loved since childhood. I’m learning a huge amount about fashion.

But isn’t there a risk of losing yourself in your role as fashion muse?