The script for the new Netflix offering "Close" was a standard action film when it was first offered to Noomi Rapace. The Swedish actress would play a bodyguard who takes on what appears to be little more than a babysitting job for a rich heiress.
Rapace was not interested in doing a simple action film and began to work with writer/director Vicky Jewson ("Born of War") on making the role more of a complicated character.
During the initial meetings, the director stressed to Rapace her intentions were not to make a film dependent only on action, but in making "a violent drama" that felt like it was unfolding in the real world. It was important for the audience to believe every beat to the point where they could almost feel, smell and taste the danger facing the bodyguard.
It was acceptable to Rapace for the character to still be a counterterrorist expert, but Rapace wanted the character to be flawed _ or as Rapace describes it, "having more cracks."
"I live for those cracks. I love that this is not just an action film but a character-driven violent drama. I wanted her to be real. I wanted to make this character seem very real and avoid everything we had seen before," Rapace says. "She was really willing to do that."
Part of layering the character included making her superbly adept at protecting her clients but at the same time socially awkward. Rapace saw the character as having not gone home in years because having to deal with personal matters scared her more than the threats she faced on the job.
This leads to a key moment in the film when the bodyguard has completed her initial assignment and delivered the heiress (Sophie Nelisse) to the designated location. When a threat emerges, she goes against her instincts as a bodyguard and takes on a more maternal role with the young woman. The background comes from one of the "cracks" Rapace wanted.
Once Rapace was comfortable that the character was as emotionally real as possible, she turned her focus on making sure the action sequences looked as genuine as possible. That meant there was no stunt double for her on set.
"I find it so boring when you see a film and you see a woman fighting or in a violent situation, most of the time it is sexy. They are bada(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK) and look hot," Rapace says. "If you are fighting for your life it is something primal, something savage. There is something real about it and you are not going to look sexy in those moments."
There is plenty of action, including a major underwater fight sequence. Doing the scene pushed Rapace because she has a fear of the water.
"For me to go into that place was pretty scary and I had to overcome one of my worst fears," Rapace says. "I deal with my fears alone and hardly tell anyone when I am scared. Basically, I just go very quiet when I am scared. I don't make a big number out of it.
"I really had to have a serious conversation with myself to deal with my fears. I was like 'Stop it. Your commitment and your marriage to this character is stronger than your fear.' So, I realized it was time to confront it and fix it."
"Close" is the latest film for Rapace where she has been able to mix action sequences with strong character development. The biggest examples are her starring roles in the three Swedish film adaptations of the Stieg Larsson's books "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "The Girl Who Played with Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest."
Her other credits include "Daisy Diamond," "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," "Prometheus," "Child 44" and "Dead Man Down." "Close" will be available on Netflix starting Friday.
