Rooney Mara Covers Vogue, Talks Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Style
With her super-edgy raven hair, bleached eyebrows, and plethora of piercings, the Rooney Mara that stars as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo doesn’t look like your typical Vogue cover girl.
And though she may be a far cry from October’s Marilyn Monroe tribute with Michelle Williams, Mara certainly makes for a striking November choice, sporting a dragon tattoo-effect dress by Ralph Lauren.
“Before [the film], I dressed much girlier,” she said in the Jonathan Van Meter-penned cover story.
“A lot of blush-colored things. Now I literally roll out of bed and put on whatever is there. I have really enjoyed being a boy this last year.” (Fans of The Social Network, also by director David Fincher, may not even recognize her as the pretty, quick-witted Erica Albright.)
In fact, the actress admits that, at first, she even did a double take.
“The eyebrows were the biggest shock because that really changed my face, and I didn’t recognize myself,” she said. “But I was fine because I knew it was going to be really helpful for getting into character.”
Photo: Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott | Vogue
Mara looks otherworldly in her Vogue photo shoot.
Her beauty transformation came at the hands of the legendary Pat McGrath. “When I saw that it was Rooney, and I saw those bony features, those cheekbones, those eyes, I said, ‘I can’t wait,’” McGrath explained, “I was instantly inspired. It’s like in fashion, when you get a girl who has one of those haunting faces that you can do absolutely anything with.”
In the accompanying spread, Mara—who has her eyebrows back but still sports Lisbeth Salander hair, wears ethereal gowns by the likes of Marchesa (above and right), Calvin Klein Collection, and Vera Wang.
She says her newfound fame, though, isn’t something she wanted for herself. “It just so happens that this huge, gigantic monster of a film came around that also happens to have the most incredible character that I ever could have dreamed up,” she said.
“But my fear with a movie like this is the kind of exposure you get from it. I think that can be death to an actor. The more people know about you, the less they can project who you are supposed to be. It’s unfortunate that you really only get one shot at that. After this, I won’t be able to be that girl again.”
For more Mara, visit Vogue online and pick up the November issue, out October 25.
