Source: Side3.no [Translated and
edited]
Date: March 11, 2009
Michael Nyqvist has traveled over 20 hours from South
Africa just to host the premiere of "The Girl with the
Dragon Tattoo" in Oslo.
The attention of Stieg Larsson's
books has been enormous. It was also no less when
Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace were cast to star in
the three films.
After February 27, interest has
exploded. The first weekend the film sold as many
tickets in Denmark as in Sweden. That has never happened
before. Now the film is premiering in Norway with 500
copies, far more than they've ever received for a "Harry
Potter" film.
Though Nyqvist has spent time making
a German film in South Africa, he says he has also spent
time taking long walks along the beach, drinking fine
wines and simply staring into nothing all alone. He
calls it psychic Feng Shui.
At first Michael Nyqvist did not want
to play Stieg Larsson's protagonist, the investigative
journalist Mikael Blomqvist.
Michael: "I wanted to run the
opposite way. I did not think that they could make a
good movie. I thought that there was probably
someone who just wanted to make even more money. But
then I met director Niels Arden and I became convinced.
The project attracted me."
His namesake, Mikael Blomqvist, is a
fairly normal guy, a guy who has morality, integrity,
intelligence, who is against violence, but maybe a
little too much of a ladies man. As some reviewers have
pointed out, the film version has reduced his female
relationships to chiefly Millennium magazine's Erika
Berger, played by Lena Endre.
As far as Nyqvist's relationship with
actress Noomi Rapace, he says, "We do not know each
other. We decided that during the 18 months of filming,
we would just meet in front of the camera. I stood next
to her at the premiere and said, a little awkwardly,
"Such a nice dress you're wearing".
Michael Nyqvist previously did
"Naboer" with Pål Sletaune and the "Kautokeino
Rebellion" with Nils Gaup. Both jobs gave him more
pleasure to work in Norway. He likes the Norwegian
lighting.
Michael: "And I love to sit at Aker Brygge and have a
beer in the spring sun."
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