ALICIA VIKANDER

I love films that make me react emotionally and physically when you walk out of the cinema. Two of my favorite films however have got to be 'The Tree Of Life' and 'The Piano Teacher,' which also stars one of my favourite actresses Isabelle Huppert.

I love to see how far you're able to go, both in skills but also emotionally how far I can push myself.

I was able to actually combine dance and acting, which was a dream come true.

I endured quite a few injuries when I was younger and had my first surgery on my foot when I was 15. But I love dancing. 'Anna Karenina' was great for me as it meant I could combine the two and I actually went back and did some classes.

I do work very hard. I have been very colored by that education. I spent six days a week, seven hours a day training. That will always be the foundation of my work.

In 'A Royal Affair' I had to learn to act like a queen and learned Danish. It's so much different to act in another language. It's the nuances in the words.

My agent in Sweden used to send off interview tapes but I decided to take it upon myself and come to London to visit casting directors which is when things first started taking off for me. I love Sweden but the industry out here is quite small so when I was given the chance to go internationally I took it.

My Mother is an actress, so it's always been a part of my life.

I started off when I was seven years old doing musicals. I was in 'Les Miserables' and 'The Sound of Music,' and my mum's an actress. My parents divorced when I was young, and when she couldn't find a babysitter, I was in the wings, sleeping.

I love doing interviews that are about work that I do, films that I make. I am not very interested in the rest. I think I have always been quite reserved and a bit frightened of that whole thing.

I love when I am outside my comfort zone.

All the parts I've enjoyed playing the most I didn't know about until they appeared, or it was something I read and fell in love with.

In film, you get the license to try and go for emotions that you normally try to keep away from you.

Both my mom and my dad have always included me in intelligent conversations about people, about characters, about how people work. My dad and my mom still read all scripts that I find interesting. I send them an e-mail, and I'm like, 'Okay, I have my eye on this,' or whatever.

For events, I do use make-up, but normally I don't. I might use a bit of eyebrow pencil and a lipstick but nothing else.

People always think I'm not scared. I've noticed that whenever I feel stressed, everyone thinks I'm fine, and later, it's like, 'I was not fine.'

I've always wanted kids.

We all body shame and compare bodies, and that needs to go out of the window.

I love skincare. If anything, my skin goes extremely dry. I could put hand cream on my face, and it still goes in. On flights, I always put on masks, and I have night cream as my day cream.

I'd quit ballet school, which I thought was going to be my path, but my gut instinct told me to do something different.

I don't have the best feet.

I love big popcorn movies.

It's a mixed feeling when everything you've ever wanted in making films is coming true, and yet you feel scared because it's happening all at once. Suddenly you're in rooms with people you've looked up to for years, the Judi Denches. You wonder if you're good, if you have what it takes.

I've never been able to lift my own weight, and the day when you have that capacity, it's pretty empowering!

Being in ballet school and being in leotards in front of a mirror I don't know how many hours a day was quite tough.