Claire Foy was worried about taking on the part of Lisbeth Salander in The Girl In The Spider’s Web because it had already been played by two other actresses to “great acclaim”.
The British actress stars in the David Lagercrantz film adaptation as Salander, a vigilante computer hacker and victim of sexual abuse.
Speaking on The Graham Norton Show, Foy said she had felt anxious about taking on the role after performances by Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara.
Asked if she had been eager to play the part, she said: “Originally I thought: ‘Not on your nelly.’
“Not because of the contrast (with my role in The Crown), which would have been extreme anyway but it was more the fact that two other actresses have played the character to great acclaim and, because it is such a loved set of novels, you are going into it thinking ‘you can only lose’.”
Rapace’s portrayal of Salander in the 2009 film trilogy by Swedish studio Yellow Bird earned her a Bafta Award for best actress in a leading role.
The next year, Mara received a nomination for the Academy Award for best actress after starring in the American adaptation of the first book in the trilogy, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
Foy added she had filmed all the fight scenes in the movie herself, only using stunt doubles for scenes with motorbikes.
She said: “If time wasn’t an issue, I’d love to have learnt to ride a bike but they wouldn’t let me.
“I had three incredible women stunt doubles but I did all the fight scenes myself. I loved it and could do it all the time now.”
Foy gained recognition as Queen Elizabeth II in the first two seasons of the Netflix drama The Crown.
Asked by host Graham Norton whether she missed being a part of the programme, she replied: “It’s been a year and half ago since we finished. I do miss everybody but it goes on.
“I hear amazing things. Olivia (Colman) is loving it, I think, and is having an amazing time.
“I genuinely think that when it starts people will say: ‘Who was it that played it before?'”
The third season of The Crown will have Queen Elizabeth II played by Olivia Colman while Tobias Menzies will take over the role of Prince Philip, previously played by Matt Smith.
