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.”

That complexity drew Rapace to the role, which is based on that of Jacquie Davis, one of the world’s leading female bodyguards, whose clients have included J.K. Rowling, Nicole Kidman, and members of the British royal family. Rapace met with Davis, who also served as a consultant on Close, and trained in London with The Circuit — the British organization for close protection officers — in order to perform her many fight brutal scenes.

“[Jacquie] has seen the dark side of humanity several times, and her heart is heavy but also strong,” Rapace says. “I’m obsessed with digging into the human psyche and discovering how different things will change you as a person, and I feel like my peek into this world stayed with me. It left a mark on me.”

Source

   

“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.

Last week, Noomi Rapace (aka The Girl with the Funny Green Hat :-) was a guest on the Swedish talkshow Skavlan for a chat about her career and the upcoming thriller “Stockholm” (which will have its world-premiere at this month’s Tribeca Film Festival). Unfortunately there’s no version of the appearnce to embed to the video archive, so you have to check out the SVT website to watch the whole show. Screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery.

Noomi was a surprise guest – and a vision in white – at yesterday’s 43rd Annual César Film Awards in Paris. Together with Lucien Jean-Baptist, she took the stage to present the César for Best Original Screenplay to Robin Campillo. Pictures from the arrivals and the show have been added to the photo gallery, a segment of her presentation has been added to the video archive. Enjoy.

Photo Gallery – Public Appearances – 2018 – 43rd Annual César Film Awards – Arrivals
Photo Gallery – Public Appearances – 2018 – 43rd Annual César Film Awards – Show
Photo Gallery – Public Appearances – 2018 – 43rd Annual César Film Awards – Screencaptures