In only a relatively short amount of time, Lisbeth Salander has become one of the most iconic heroes in modern fiction. She’s a genius. She’s a badass. And in “The Girl in the Spider’s Web,” she’s basically a superhero, as she protects women who have been brutalized by powerful men. But even though it appears the character has morphed quite a bit from her first live-action appearance in 2009, actress Claire Foy says Lisbeth has stayed true to herself no matter who dons the all-black attire.
In a new interview with UPROXX, Foy sat down to discuss stepping into the iconic role, which has previously been filled by Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara. The latter of which was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal. Foy also talks about why the James Bond comparison is nice but a little off base.
But first, the actress explains why she was skeptical for taking the role in ‘Spider’s Web’ after seeing two other women thoroughly kill it playing the same character. Foy explained, “Well, you’re sort of doomed from the beginning, really. Because you’re really competing against two other highly accomplished actresses who’ve done incredible work as the character. Or you’re competing against people’s imagination, because they’ve loved the book so much and therefore they’ve got the character in their head in a particular way. And, either way, that’s not a great starting position when you’re going into something. So I was definitely skeptical in the beginning.”
She continued, “But then I met [director] Fede Álvarez, and then I started rereading the books. And as soon as I started rereading the books, I just saw Lisbeth and an idea of Lisbeth and a kind of approach to her and what I loved about her. And I kind of thought I would be foolish to let all that expectation and all that possible judgment stop me from playing a character that I’ve always really loved.”
However, even though Foy is the third actress to step into the shoes of Lisbeth Salander, don’t think she’s out to prove herself with a brand-new take on the character. She thinks that each actress is different, but the character doesn’t change.
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“And I don’t see my Lisbeth as a version of Lisbeth, or anything. I took my inspiration from the books just like I presume Noomi and Rooney did. And so, it’s nothing but Lisbeth. It’s not me trying to make a mark, or anything like that,” the actress said.
With the focus on Lisbeth in ‘Spider’s Web,’ as she becomes the central figure in the story, fans and audiences are quickly bringing up James Bond as a comparison for the hero. But while Foy likes what modern James Bond films have done with the character, she doesn’t quite think the analogy is accurate.
“Lisbeth is why people love those novels, the complexity of that character. Daniel Craig brought an awful lot to James Bond. I think he humanized him in a way that I hadn’t ever thought of before with that character and made him a real man with real issues and real struggles,” Foy said. “But I think that Lisbeth, it’s not the same thing at all. I don’t see how you could continue to make a story with a perpetually young central character like that.”
“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” hits theaters November 9.
