Noomi stepped out at Build Series to discuss about her new Netflix movie “Close” alongside director Vicky Jewson. The movie premieres this weekend, January 18. Below you can watch the Q&A and also check our gallery for HQ pictures.

“Close,” an adrenaline-pumping action thriller written and directed by Vicky Jewson (“Born of War”), is inspired by the life of the world’s leading female bodyguard, Jacquie Davis. The film stars Noomi Rapace as Sam, a counter-terrorist expert used to war zones, who takes on the job of protecting Zoe (Sophie Nélisse), a young and rich heiress — a babysitting job for her. But a violent attempted kidnapping forces the two to go on the run. Now they’ve got to take some lives — or lose theirs

   

A world-class hacker. An Alien-battling archaeologist. Seven identical twins living in a dystopian nightmare. When it comes to choosing roles, Noomi Rapace has always been drawn to tough characters — so it should come as no surprise that her latest, that of steely bodyguard Sam in the Netflix thriller Close, also fits the description. “I’ve always been so fascinated by female bodyguards,” Rapace explains. “I was obsessed with their world and how good they are at leading people and blending in and basically not taking up any space. They’re behind you or in front of you, but they walk with you. It’s almost like a dance. It’s just a very intriguing, kind of hidden and secretive world.”

Her Close character, as seen in the exclusive trailer above, definitely knows how to stay out of the spotlight. Directed by Vicky Jewson, the film begins with Rapace’s Sam hired to protect an heiress named Zoe (Sophie Nélisse) in what seems like a straightforward job — until a mysterious group attempts to kidnap Zoe and forces the two women to go on the run. “She would die for the people she protects, but she also has a lot of ghosts from her past that she’s not really dealing with, and she doesn’t have a lot of personal relationships,” Rapace says of Sam. “She doesn’t let people in.”

   

Noomi is going to play an important role in Jack Ryan Season 2 as it was announced during San Diego Comic-Con in July. Now we’ve seen the first pictures of her while filming a scene with John Krasinski in London early this month. Check it on our gallery:

   

According to Variety, the upcoming psychological thriller “Angel of Mine,” starring Noomi Rapace, is set as the first acquisition by R & R Films, a new Australian distributor. The company was recently established by industry veterans Richard Becker and Robert Slaviero. The film goes into production this month in Melbourne, Australia. It is the story of intuition and obsession featuring a couple coming to terms with the untimely death of their daughter. The woman becomes convinced that another girl is her own. The script is adapted by Luke Davies (“Lion”) and David Regal from the French film “L’Empreinte,” by Safy Nebbou. Kim Farrant directs. Alongside Rapace, the film stars Yvonne Strahovski and Luke Evans. Other cast includes Richard Roxburgh, Finn Little, Rob Collins, Tracy Mann, Pip Miller and Rachel Gordon. Becker is a veteran who for years headed the sales, production and distribution group Becker Film. Slaviero is former CEO of Hoyts Distribution and Studiocanal. “Farrant showed her promise as a director with the powerful film ‘Strangerland,’ and she has once again attracted an incredible international Australian and international cast to this production,” said Becker. “I couldn’t resist Luke and David’s compelling script. It a story that every parent will identify with.” “Angel of Mine” is a SixtyFourSixty and Garlin Pictures production with principal investors Magna Entertainment and Screen Australia, in association with Film Victoria. Producers are Su Armstrong, Brian Etting and Josh Etting with executive producers Brian Rosen, Nadine de Barros and Robert Ogden Barnum. Fortitude Intl. is handling international sales on the film at the Cannes Film Market.

On Thursday, Noomi Rapace and Ethan Hawke have attended the Tribeca Film Festival alongside director Robert Budreau to celebrate the world-premiere of “Stockholm.” So far, only The Hollywood Reporter has posted a review, so let’s wait for more to drop. In the meantime, lots of pictures from the premiere have been added to the photo gallery with many thanks to Joan for sending them in. Edit: More reviews have been added, and it’s great to see good reviews for the film and especially praise for Noomi’s performance!

The Hollywood Reporter, John De Fore (April 19, 2018)
As the hostage who will come to most closely identify with the outlaws, Rapace has the film’s biggest job. She’s not so insensitive as to make it look easy. Bianca is married with two young children, and, judging solely from Rapace’s mien, harbors no fantasies about running away with a rogue. But she notices every thing Lars does to make this ordeal easier for her, sees how he is subtly disrespected by the man he’s trying to rescue, and, late in the plot, realizes Lars is the same criminal who once saved the life of an old man while robbing his house. And just as important, Bianca is allowed a few bits of contact with her husband (one of which is a nervously comic highlight), and that decent, frightened man lets her down in banal but telling ways.

Variety, Owen Gleiberman (April 21, 2018)
Enough filmmakers have nailed the early ’70s that even if you didn’t live through it, you can tell when a movie misses the era. In “Stockholm,” the hair and clothes are accurate in a costume-shop way, but the atmosphere is too slick and bright and punchy. The one performer with the right desultory presence is Noomi Rapace, under big glasses and long straight sandy blonde hair held back in a bun. Her Bianca just wants to stay alive and get home to her two children. The question is, what’s her best strategy?

Slash Film, Hoai-Tran Bui (April 21, 2018)
The movie goes out of its way to convince us that Lars is a sympathetic character, flying into a panic over his hostages’ well-being as often as he flies into a rage. In another person’s hands, Lars would have probably veered toward comic relief or even mentally disabled, but this incompetent, outrageous robber is given pathos by Hawke’s no-holds-barred performance. He’s supported by a revelatory turn by Rapace, who lends a quiet strength to Bianca, and Mark Strong’s stoic straight man.

“Stockholm” will have its world-premiere today at the Tribeca Film Festival. Directed by Robert Burdreau, the film is based on a 1973 bank heist and hostage crisis that was documented a year later in a New Yorker article titled “The Bank Drama” by Daniel Lang. Lars Nystrom (Hawke) dons a disguise to raid a central Stockholm bank. He then takes hostages, one of them being Bianca (Noomi Rapace), a wife and mother of two, in order to spring his pal Gunnar (Mark Strong) from prison. Negotiations with detectives come to a halt when the police refuse to let Lars leave in a getaway car with the hostages. As hours turn into days, Lars alternates between threatening the hostages and making them feel comfortable and secure. The hostages develop an uneasy relationship with their captor, which is particularly complex for Bianca, who develops a strong bond with Lars as she witnesses his caring nature. The Bianca-Lars relationship gives rise to the psychological phenomenon known as “Stockholm Syndrome” — hence the title of the film. Make sure to check back for reviews tomorrow.

Netflix has acquired the distribution rights to the upcoming action movie “Close”, starring Noomi Rapace, according to a report by Variety. The thriller picture focuses on Rapace as Sam, described by the movie’s logline as “the world’s toughest female bodyguard”, one of the few elite operators in the male-dominated field of close protection. Assigned to keep a young billionaire heiress safe from harm during a cushy visit to Morocco, Sam at first thinks the worst thing she’ll have to deal with is her client’s lousy attitude. But when the party comes under attack by unknown assailants and the two get framed for murder, they’re forced to work together if they want to make it out alive and clear their names. The movie is loosely based on the professional life of Jacquie Davis, one of the world’s most high-profile female bodyguards. The script was written by Rupert Whitaker, Jason Newmark, and Vicky Jewson. Close is directed by Vicky Jewson, who previously directed the movies Lady Godiva and Born of War. In addition to Rapace in the lead role, the movie stars Sophie Nélisse as the heiress, Zoe, Eoin Macken as Sam’s former partner Conall, and Indira Varma as Zoe’s stepmother. The film is currently in post-production; no release date has yet been announced.

The Tribeca Film Festival is now going into its 17th year, and while it still doesn’t command the respect of a Sundance or Cannes or Toronto, it’s certainly been able to find its identity in recent years. This April, the Noomi Rapace-starring “Stockholm” will have its world-premiere at the festival. A definite date has not been set – the festival runs from April 18-29. A new production still featuring Ethan Hawke and Noomi Rapace has been added to the photo gallery. Many thanks to Marinka for the heads-up.

Stockholm, directed and written by Robert Budreau. Produced by Nicholas Tabarrok, Robert Budreau, Jonathan Bronfman. (Canada, Sweden, USA) – World Premiere. In 1973, an unhinged American outlaw walked into a bank in Sweden demanding millions in cash in exchange for his hostages. The events that followed would capture the attention of the world and ultimately give a name to a new psychological phenomenon: Stockholm syndrome. With Ethan Hawke, Noomi Rapace, Mark Strong, Christopher Heyerdahl, Bea Santos, Thorbjorn Harr.

According to Inside Film, director Kim Farrant’s new film, “Angel of Mine”, will kick off production in Melbourne in April with Noomi Rapace to star. Adapted by “Lion” scribe Luke Davies and David Regal from the 2008 French film “L’Empreinte de L’Ange”, “Angel of Mine” follows a mother who, in struggling to cope with the loss of her daughter, becomes convinced a stranger’s daughter is her own. As her obsession grows, she becomes more and more entwined in the girl’s life and loses touch with reality. “What I love about this beautiful script (apart from the insanely brilliant Noomi) is that it’s about intuition. We all know what it’s like to know something deep in our bones and yet fall into the trap of doubting ourselves, and that questioning can drive us crazy,” said Farrant. “Kim Farrant is an exceptionally talented director who displayed her interest in exploring themes around motherhood and grief with her debut Strangerland,” said Screen Australia head of production Sally Caplan. “Angel of Mine is an incredible opportunity for her to establish herself internationally – directing a script by screenwriter of the moment Luke Davies, and top tier actor Noomi Rapace. This, in addition to the significant marketplace support from Fortitude and Becker, bodes well for the success of this film and the future of Kim’s career.”

H&M has announced that it will be launching a new brand in early 2018. Called Nyden, a hybrid of the Swedish words for ‘new’ and ‘it’, the line will be led by Oscar Olsson, who has worked at H&M since 2013. During this time, he became head of the company’s Innovation Lab where sociology, market research and philosophy were used to determine the future of fashion and how people will shop in years to come, The Cut reports. The result? An affordable luxury label that will specifically target millennial customers. Unlike other brands, Nyden will seek to differentiate itself from the mainstream by overlooking the traditional fashion calendar and trends, instead enlisting the help of selected ‘tribe leaders’, or influencers to co-create clothing. The first of these collaborations will see the brand work with tattoo artist Doctor Woo and Swedish actress Noomi Rapace. While very little is known about the launch just yet, we do know that the clothes will be available to shop online and at immersive pop-up events, while price points will vary depending on the product.