Authentic Portrayal of Abuse

To get into the mindset of her latest character, Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr, Alicia Vikander would put in her AirPods between takes, alternating between classical music and “a lot” of techno. “It gave me a bit of physical stress,” she recalls. “Something that never stopped, like a heartbeat that always goes a bit too fast.”

Karim Aïnouz’s handsome, visceral film Firebrand is a distinctly modern take on Tudor history, getting under the skin of what it might have been like to be married to someone who could at any point call for your beheading. For many viewers, it will provide an introduction to the somewhat overlooked historical figure of Parr, the first woman to be published under her own name in England. It also marks a shift in the way Henry VIII has traditionally been portrayed: less of a vigorous womaniser, and more of a domestic abuser prone to petty cruelties and violent mood swings. “If you’re showing an abusive relationship, in which you’re afraid for your life every day, you can’t shy away,” says Vikander. “It was pretty grim. There would have been 300 men in the palace and about 12 women, who were confined to two chambers. Just imagining these women, never being able to go outside – it dawns on you emotionally, what that can be like.”

Many of the themes in Firebrand are depressingly relevant to the present day: plague, war, tyrants, women being reduced to their reproductive organs. At its heart, it is a conflict of reason and tolerance versus violence and hatred, a dynamic familiar to anyone following politics today. “I don’t think people have changed,” says Vikander. “It’s maybe not the most optimistic, but I was reading an article about how wars recur and it’s all a cycle – the fact that it should return is kind of inevitable. But everything is exponential at the moment.”

While they were filming, King Charles III’s coronation took place against a backdrop of global unrest and the cost of living crisis. “It was interesting, because he came out, [wearing] the cape, and we said: ‘Wow, see how different that is from reality.’ And that made us think: why would we trust these paintings that are 500 years old? Obviously, it’s theatre. It’s about creating an image that you want to send out for the people, or to gain power.” Rather than believing the projection, the film peels back the layers of veneer to get to something darker and recognisably human.

Alicia Vikander has a rare ability to shift between strength and vulnerability, conveying deep emotion through micro-expressions; her background in ballet shows in her physical self-possession. “It is easy to see why so many directors have been drawn to Vikander: on screen, she shifts effortlessly between steeliness and vulnerability, conveying deep emotion through micro-expressions; her background in ballet shows in her physical self-possession.”

On her life in Lisbon, where she has lived with her husband, Michael Fassbender, since 2017: “Thirty minutes from the city centre, you’re on a beach that looks like nowhere else in Europe – you can’t see where the beach ends both ways. There’s just a few fish shacks.” She speaks of her children with pride and tenderness, saying that it is “a very, very precious thing” to raise them as a couple.

As the public eye remains fixed on Vikander, she is bemused but not fazed by the attention. She reveals a rare enthusiasm when discussing the possibilities and pitfalls of technology, citing experts and podcasts she has listened to, as well as her own experiences.

About the future of education, she muses: “It’s not like we need to memorise anything. In theory, very soon our brain could have instant access” – she snaps her fingers – “to the entirety of the internet. It’s like asking a mouse if it wants to be as intelligent as a human being. [On the podcast,] he was saying, if we all are that much more intelligent, everyone [else will be too]. We can’t even imagine what we would then collectively do as a human species.”

Alicia Vikander has been busy preparing for a new project, working alongside directors and co-stars she admires, from Karim Aïnouz to Jude Law and Dev Patel. “The AirPods will probably come out again. ‘I really enjoy this time at the beginning of a project – it’s that feeling of first love that I always have when there’s something new and exciting, and I don’t know how I’m going to tackle it yet.” There is something magical about being on set, she says. “You’re in a scene and suddenly everything clicks. And no one really knows how or why that happened just then, but everyone in the room is aware of it. I guess that intangible thing and the mystery of it is still what attracts all of us to go back for it. That is probably why I do this.”

Conclusion

Alicia Vikander has built a remarkable career by consistently taking on challenging and nuanced roles. Her dedication to her craft, as well as her ability to bring emotional depth to her characters, has made her one of the most respected and admired actresses of her generation.

FAQs

1. What is Alicia Vikander’s latest film?
   Firebrand is her latest film, a historical drama about Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII.

2. What is the main theme of Firebrand?
   The film explores themes of abuse, domestic violence, and the cyclical nature of war and oppression.

3. How does Alicia Vikander approach her roles?
   Vikander has said that she prepares for her roles by immersing herself in the character’s mindset, often using music and other techniques to tap into their emotions.

4. What does she think about the future of education?
   Vikander believes that technology will have a significant impact on education, potentially allowing for instant access to vast amounts of information, but also raises concerns about the implications for human intelligence and society as a whole.