Q: What can you tell me about Noomi Rapace, who plays the gypsy woman in the new Sherlock Holmes movie?
—James Oliver, Berlin, Conn.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is Rapace's first English-speaking role. She is best known in her native Sweden for her role as Lisbeth Salander in the film adaptations of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest.
Of her role in the new Holmes movie, Rapace, 32, says, "I didn't speak English three years ago, so I didn't know how it would be for me. I think I am really spoiled now. This was the first American film I did. I didn't know what to expect before, but the way these people work was amazing."
Rapace next will be seen starring in the sci-fi thriller Prometheus, which is slated to open in June. She is also set to star opposite Colin Farrell in the thriller Dead Man Down.
Born in Hudiksvall, Sweden, Rapace moved to Iceland with her mother, an actress, and stepfather when she was 5. She began her acting career at the age of 7 in the Icelandic film In the Shadow of the Raven. At 15, she left home and enrolled in a Stockholm theatre school.
In 1996, she made her TV debut as Lucinda Gonzales in the TV series Tre kronor.
Rapace, who has a son, has appeared in more than 20 films and TV shows. In 2007, she made her mark on the big screen with a critically acclaimed performance in the Danish film Daisy Diamond.
