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Eighteen Brilliant But Unawarded Acting Performances

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Photo credit: Nordisk Film

18. Noomi Rapace – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

While the U.S. version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was a hit in America, the earlier foreign version was an international success, earning a BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language and an Empire Award for Noomi Rapace’s Best Actress performance as the mysterious and troubled Lisbeth Salander.

The American Academy, however, didn’t deem Rapace’s portrayal of a dark, intelligent, and world-savvy young woman as worthy even of a Best Foreign Language Film award.

But Rapace becomes her character so completely that you would never guess her to be a bright, cheerful, and stylish woman; and the fact that the film is in the Swedish language makes it that much more convincing.

In order to play Lisbeth Salander, Rapace had to lose weight, get real facial piercings, learn to do her own stunts, and basically stay in character for a year and a half. In fact, the only thing fake about her performance was the dragon tattoo.

Before you rush out to rent the American film, you must watch the original version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and see one of the most dramatic and personal performances to hit the silver screen in decades.

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